MONARC
Encyclopedia
Modular Naval Artillery Concept (MONARC) was a study of the German defence industry about mounting the turret of the PzH 2000
self-propelled howitzer on a naval ship
of frigate
size.
The size required above and below deck and the weight of this turret are not much different from the OTO Melara 76mm gun system
, the standard naval gun of the German Navy
. But to deal with the much greater recoil
of the 155 mm artillery piece on such a vessel, a flexible mount with damping elements
had to be designed.
This mount and a PzH 2000's turret was fitted experimentally in December 2002 on the Type 124 Sachsen class frigate
Hamburg at the shipyards of HDW
in Kiel
, when she was still fitting out. In 2004 the fire-control system
was tested with a PzH 2000 strapped onto the helicopter deck of Hessen, another Type 124 frigate. The feasibility of using even the unmodified PzH 2000 with unguided "dumb" rounds to attack naval targets had been proven previously by the Swedish
Coastal Artillery with tests performed in May 1996.
Rheinmetall
, the producer of PzH 2000's gun system, plans to design special smart
naval rounds that will boost the range of the gun from 30 km with standard NATO ammunition and 40 km with assisted rounds to over 80 km (49.7 mi), more than that of many anti-ship missile
s.
The future F125 class frigate
was intended to make use of this concept. While the intricate elastic mounting system handled the recoil adequately, adapting all of the PzH-2000's systems for the corrosive naval environment proved more difficult than expected and MONARC appears to have been removed from F125 plans. The F125 class will now mount the new developed Otobreda 127/64
naval gun, which has a range of more than 120 km when using guided Vulcano ammunition.
PzH 2000
The Panzerhaubitze 2000 , abbreviated PzH 2000, is a German 155 mm self-propelled howitzer developed by Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and Rheinmetall for the German Army. The PzH 2000 is one of the most powerful conventional artillery systems currently deployed...
self-propelled howitzer on a naval ship
Naval ship
A naval ship is a ship used for combat purposes, commonly by a navy. Naval ships are differentiated from civilian ships by construction and purpose...
of frigate
Frigate
A frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...
size.
The size required above and below deck and the weight of this turret are not much different from the OTO Melara 76mm gun system
Otobreda 76 mm
The Otobreda 76 mm gun is a naval artillery piece built by the Italian defence conglomerate Otobreda. It is based on the Oto Melara 76mm/L62 Allargato, which was bigger and heavier...
, the standard naval gun of the German Navy
German Navy
The German Navy is the navy of Germany and is part of the unified Bundeswehr .The German Navy traces its roots back to the Imperial Fleet of the revolutionary era of 1848 – 52 and more directly to the Prussian Navy, which later evolved into the Northern German Federal Navy...
. But to deal with the much greater recoil
Recoil
Recoil is the backward momentum of a gun when it is discharged. In technical terms, the recoil caused by the gun exactly balances the forward momentum of the projectile and exhaust gasses, according to Newton's third law...
of the 155 mm artillery piece on such a vessel, a flexible mount with damping elements
Dashpot
A dashpot is a mechanical device, a damper which resists motion via viscous friction. The resulting force is proportional to the velocity, but acts in the opposite direction, slowing the motion and absorbing energy. It is commonly used in conjunction with a spring...
had to be designed.
This mount and a PzH 2000's turret was fitted experimentally in December 2002 on the Type 124 Sachsen class frigate
Sachsen class frigate
The F124 Sachsen class is Germany's latest class of highly advanced air-defense frigates. The design of the Sachsen class frigate is based on that of the F123 Brandenburg class but with enhanced stealth features intended to deceive any opponent's radar and acoustic sensors and incorporate also the...
Hamburg at the shipyards of HDW
Howaldtswerke
Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft is a German shipbuilding company, headquartered in Kiel. In 2009 it was the largest shipyard in Germany and has more than 2,400 employees. It has been part of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems owned by ThyssenKrupp, since 2005...
in Kiel
Kiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
, when she was still fitting out. In 2004 the fire-control system
Fire-control system
A fire-control system is a number of components working together, usually a gun data computer, a director, and radar, which is designed to assist a weapon system in hitting its target. It performs the same task as a human gunner firing a weapon, but attempts to do so faster and more...
was tested with a PzH 2000 strapped onto the helicopter deck of Hessen, another Type 124 frigate. The feasibility of using even the unmodified PzH 2000 with unguided "dumb" rounds to attack naval targets had been proven previously by the Swedish
Swedish Armed Forces
The Swedish Armed Forces is a Swedish Government Agency responsible for the operation of the armed forces of the Realm. The primary task of the agency is to train, organize and to deploy military forces, domestically and abroad, while maintaining the long-term ability to defend the Realm in the...
Coastal Artillery with tests performed in May 1996.
Rheinmetall
Rheinmetall
Rheinmetall AG is a German automotive and defence company with factories in Düsseldorf, Kassel and Unterlüß. The company has a long tradition of making guns and artillery pieces...
, the producer of PzH 2000's gun system, plans to design special smart
Precision-guided munition
A precision-guided munition is a guided munition intended to precisely hit a specific target, and to minimize damage to things other than the target....
naval rounds that will boost the range of the gun from 30 km with standard NATO ammunition and 40 km with assisted rounds to over 80 km (49.7 mi), more than that of many anti-ship missile
Anti-ship missile
Anti-ship missiles are guided missiles that are designed for use against ships and large boats. Most anti-ship missiles are of the sea-skimming type, many use a combination of inertial guidance and radar homing...
s.
The future F125 class frigate
F125 class frigate
F125 is the project name for the Type 125 Baden-Württemberg class of frigates, currently in development for the German Navy by ARGE F125, a joint-venture of Thyssen-Krupp and Lürssen...
was intended to make use of this concept. While the intricate elastic mounting system handled the recoil adequately, adapting all of the PzH-2000's systems for the corrosive naval environment proved more difficult than expected and MONARC appears to have been removed from F125 plans. The F125 class will now mount the new developed Otobreda 127/64
Otobreda 127/64
The upcoming Oto Melara 127/64 Lightweight naval Gun Mount is a rapid fire gun mount suitable for installation on large and medium size ships, intended for surface fire and naval gunfire support as main role and anti-aircraft fire as secondary role....
naval gun, which has a range of more than 120 km when using guided Vulcano ammunition.
External links
- German 155mm/52 MONARC @ www.navweaps.com
- HDW-Videos @ HowaldtswerkeHowaldtswerkeHowaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft is a German shipbuilding company, headquartered in Kiel. In 2009 it was the largest shipyard in Germany and has more than 2,400 employees. It has been part of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems owned by ThyssenKrupp, since 2005...
, a video showing parts of the 2002 test can be downloaded here.