According to a report by Fox News from 2:04, on Tuesday May 5, 2026, as Operation Project Freedom intensifies in the Middle East, military analysts and television commentators are highlighting the sophisticated defensive technology keeping U.S. sailors safe in one of the world’s most volatile waterways.
While the mission to unblock the Strait of Hormuz involves massive carrier strike groups and land-based aircraft, the secret weapon providing the fleet with a nearly impenetrable shield is a piece of technology with a distinctly cinematic nickname.
The U.S. military has maintained that its current operations are not designed to initiate a wider conflict but to ensure the freedom of navigation for commercial vessels currently stranded in the Gulf. Fox News host Jesse Watters emphasized the protective nature of the mission during a recent broadcast.
“This isn’t an offensive operation. this is purely defensive and we have a secret weapon, R2-D2.”
The technology Watters referred to officially known as the Phalanx Close-In Weapon System (CIWS) has become the cornerstone of what military leaders call the Hormuz Dome. Retired Marine Colonel Mike Jernigan, currently a fellow at the Heritage Foundation, provided a detailed look at how this system operates alongside the broader Aegis missile defense network.
“The United States navy has a tremendous ship defense. we have the Aegis missile defense system to get incoming missiles and we have the close end system, they called it the R2-D2 of death. it looks like the small character from the ‘star wars’ movies. we have enormous defenses to protect against missiles coming into u.s. ships. if it flies, it dies,” says Col. Mike Jernigan (Ret.)
The Phalanx system is a radar-guided 20mm gatling gun capable of firing up to 4,500 rounds per minute.
Its distinctive white, dome-shaped radar housing atop a cylindrical base bears a striking resemblance to the iconic Star Wars droid, earning it its lethal moniker among naval personnel…Read_More…