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German 155 mm/52 (6.1") MONARC
Updated 01 August 2006

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This was a joint demonstration project by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft (HDW), Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and Rheinmetall W&M. Standing for "MOdular Naval ARtillery Concept for Naval Gun Fire," MONARC is a 155 mm/52 (6.1") PzH 2000 howitzer turret that has been mounted on the deck of the German Frigate Hamburg as a feasibility study for naval applications.
The 155 mm/52 (6.1") gun was developed by Rheinmetall Industrie AG and has a chromium-plated barrel. It uses a semi-automatic wedge type breech mechanism with an integrated 32-round standard primer magazine. Gun parameters such as chamber temperature are monitored automatically. The muzzle velocity is determined automatically by means of a radar sensor and is used in the fire control computation. Modular propellant charges are used, with up to six "bags" being used per shot, depending upon the range to the target. These modular charges are said to allow faster handling, cause less wear on the gun and have a lower sensitivity to ignition hazards.

The gun positioning and laying system is produced by Honeywell Maintal and is mounted on the gun cradle. The system automatically determines gun direction, position and elevation above sea level with a built-in Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver.

By the end of 2002, general contractor Krauss-Maffei Wegmann had supplied a total of 185 Pzh 2000s to the German Army.

From a HDW Press Release of February 2003:

"From the standpoint of naval architecture, the main challenge encountered in integrating the turret onto the deck of a frigate consists of having to mount a big gun onto a relatively small vessel. It is not so much the weight of the turret that is a problem: after all, the medium-calibre turrets already in place weigh nearly as much. Furthermore, the space requirement both above and below deck is no greater than that of a conventional 76 mm naval gun. The real problem lies in the effects of recoil on the structure of the ship. The necessary reduction in recoil force is to be achieved through a temporal extension of force transference by means of an elastic mounting."
"By using a flexible mounting rather than rigidly fixing t he turret to the deck in the conventional manner, the impact of residual acceleration on the structure of the ship during firing is expected to remain at an acceptable level. Since the turret is essentially self-sufficient, all that is required is a 24-volt power connection and a secure link to the operations room and the bridge. In addition, the ammunition storage and handling systems will have to be modified. Furthermore, in order to compensate for the movement of the ship, the gun-laying system will have to be stabilised."

Land trials were successfully completed during 2003. Shipboard trials took place during 2004.
The MONARC turret was removed from Hamburg prior to her commissioning on 12 December 2004 and she now has a standard 76 mm Compact mounting as do her sisterships. There is some possibility that the F125 class of frigates now being designed will use this weapon system.

Gun Characteristics
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Designation 155 mm/52 (6.1") MONARC
Ship Class Used On Prototype on FGS Hamburg
Planned for F125 Class
Date Of Design 2003
Date In Service about 2010
Gun Weight N/A
Gun Length oa N/A
Bore Length about 317 in (8.060 m)
Rifling Length N/A
Grooves N/A
Lands N/A
Twist N/A
Chamber Volume 1,403 in3 (23 dm3)
Rate Of Fire
(see Note 2) about 10 to 12 rounds per minute
Notes:
1) A key difference for this weapon is that it uses standard NATO modular charges. This allows compatibility with the land weapons, at the cost of a slower rate of fire. Almost all current naval gun systems use single-piece cartridges with less complex handling requirements in order to achieve higher rates of fire.

2) The automatic shell loading system has a pneumatically-driven flick rammer and automatic digital control, ammunition supply management and inductive fuze setting. This system can achieve rates of fire as fast as 3 rounds in less than 10 seconds. During firing tests in October 1997 with an improved autoloader, a PzH 2000 fired 12 rounds in 59.74 seconds and 20 rounds in 1 minute 47 seconds.


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Ammunition
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Type Semi-bagged
Projectile Types and Weights
(see Note 2) HE - 98 lbs. (44.5 kg)
Bursting Charge N/A
Projectile Length N/A
Propellant Charge N/A
Muzzle Velocity N/A
Working Pressure N/A
Approximate Barrel Life 5 modular charges: 5,000 rounds
6 modular charges: 2,500 rounds
Ammunition stowage per gun
(see Note 2) N/A
Notes:
1) Standard NATO 155 mm (6.1") ammunition includes high-explosive projectiles, bomblets, smoke and illuminating rounds. Future developments include smart and cargo rounds, such as those already in service in the US Army.

2) The automatic shell loading system used on the PzH 2000 can handle 60 rounds of 155 mm ammunition.


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Range
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Elevation With 98 lbs. (45.5 kg) Shell
Range @ 45 degrees 32,800 yards (30,000 m) with full six module charge
. With rocket-assisted Shell
N/A 43,750 yards (40,000 m)
Note: A new generation of artillery ammunition is currently being worked on by Rheinmetall W&M. The design goal is to achieve ranges of over 87,500 yards (80,000 m).

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Mount / Turret Data
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Designation N/A
Weight Total: N/A
PzH 2000 Turret by itself: 16.5 tons (18 mt)
Elevation N/A
Elevation Rate N/A
Train N/A
Train Rate N/A
Gun recoil N/A
Note: Shipboard mounting only requires 24 Vdc.

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http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNGER_61-52_MONARC.htm

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How effective should this be?

Pretty long range compared to other in service naval guns.

Could be a nice stop gap for fire support...

__________________
To sit down with these men and deal with them as the representatives of an enlightened and civilized people is to deride ones own dignity and to invite the disaster of their treachery - General Matthew Ridgway

Anon

They've been monkeying with this adaptation for years. I didn't know they were still at it.

Cool.

B.Smitty

What types of ship would it equip?

We have tons of 5inch guns already on cruisers and destroyers. With the addition of BTERM II/ERGM (and the Mk45 MOD 4 upgrade), all of them can become useful fire support systems.

This is the current stop-gap plan.