Mark 15 Phalanx CIWS; automated anti-missile gatling gun, entered US Navy service in 1980
Because of their distinctive barrel-shaped radome and their automated nature of operation, Phalanx CIWS units are sometimes nicknamed "R2-D2" after the famous droid from Star Wars.
Because the replenishment oiler is not a combat unit, but rather a support vessel, such ships are often lightly armed, usually with self-defense systems (such as the Phalanx CIWS close-in weapons systems), small arms, machine guns and/or light automatic cannons.
Defensive firepower represents air defense missiles such as the Standard, as well as anti-aircraft guns such as the Phalanx.
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After leaving the Navy, Aviles initially worked as a production support engineer, working on the Standard Missile and Phalanx CIWS programs.