Menon (weapon)

Last updated
Menon
Cigno1959.jpg
A triple-barrel Menon ASW mortar mounted in front of the superstructure aboard the Italian frigate Cigno, 1959
Type Anti-submarine mortar
Place of originItaly
Service history
In service1956–1980s
Used by Italian Navy
Production history
Produced1956–1960s
VariantsShort barrelled
Specifications
Crew3

Shell 160 kg (350 lb)
Calibre 305 mm (12 in)
Barrels3
Maximum firing range1,500 yd (1,372 m)

Menon was an anti-submarine mortar used by the Italian Navy during the Cold War. Introduced in 1956 it was used on the Centauro-class and Bergamini-class frigates until their retirement in the 1980s.

Contents

Description

The Menon system fired a 305-millimeter (12 in) projectile weighing 160 kilograms (350 lb) to a maximum range of 1,500 meters (4,900 ft). [1] It fired 21 rounds in 70 seconds that covered an area of about 90 by 180 square yards (75 by 151 m2). [2]

The initial version consisted of a three-barrel mortar in a rotating, enclosed mounting that was usually positioned forward of the superstructure, but aft of the gun mounts. [1] This was replaced by the K 113 weapon with a single 4.6-meter (15 ft 1 in) barrel in the same type of mounting, albeit with a fixed elevation of 45°. By varying the gas vent valves in the three powder chambers, the weapon had a range between 400 and 900 meters (440 and 980 yd). The K 113 fired a seven-round pattern, loaded automatically from a seven-round cylinder. [2]

Short-barreled models were also used, although details are lacking.

Cites

  1. 1 2 Archer, p. 230
  2. 1 2 Friedman, p. 434

Bibliography

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