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The military’s Phalanx CIWS is probably capable of shooting down small RC / autonomous aircraft?

Phalanx was successfully adapted to shoot down mortar shells in Iraq (C-RAM.) If it has a radar return Phalanx can probably kill it. This sort of weapon could be adapted with infrared or other anti-radiation sensors as well.

I think the answer to defending against offensive UAVs is defensive UAVs. Just today a story[1] appeared about a USAF Reaper shoot down of another UAV. Supposedly a first.

[1] https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/aviation/a23320374...

If it can stop missiles, I don't see why it can't stop a slow UAV.

I could see it being hard to aim at them accurately enough to hit, iirc the CIWS systems are radar aimed for missle defense. Depends what kind of UAV we're talking about an antipersonnel UAV could probably present a small enough radar signature.

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