Iranian state media shows reported missile launches toward US ships
Three US Navy guided-missile destroyers fended off a multi-pronged Iranian attack in the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, US Central Command and President Donald Trump said.
“Three World Class American Destroyers just transited, very successfully, out of the Strait of Hormuz, under fire. There was no damage done to the three Destroyers, but great damage done to the Iranian attackers,” Trump wrote in a post.
Trump said Iran tried to hit the three destroyers with a mix of drones, fast-attack boats and missiles and were easily defeated.
The three US warships involved – USS Truxtun, USS Rafael Peralta and USS Mason – are Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, part of a fleet of more than 75 in active service, the Navy’s workhorses.
The Arleigh Burke-class ships, just over 500 feet long and displacing 8,200 to 9,700 tons, have a range of defensive armaments.
They carry high-end, multi-million-dollar Standard missiles that can deal with incoming ballistic or cruise missiles. The Sea Sparrow missile system can also deal with shorter-range threats.
If incoming targets get past those systems, US destroyers also carry the Phalanx Close-In Weapons System, a radar-guided 20mm Gatling gun that can fire 4,500 rounds a minute and can be used a last-resort defense.
The destroyers also have a five-inch 127mm gun mounted on their bows that can engage surface targets like the Iranian fast-attack boats.
CENTCOM did not specify what weapons were used to stop Thursday’s Iranian attack. But Trump gave a flowery description of how the missiles and drones were brought down.
