Menon (weapon)

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 frigate and Bergamini-class frigates and Impetuoso-class destroyers until their retirement in the 1980s.

Description
The Menon system fired a 305 mm projectile weighing 160 kg to a maximum range of 1500 m. It fired 21 rounds in 70 seconds that covered an area of about 90 by.

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. This was replaced by the K 113 weapon with a single 4.6 m 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 m. The K 113 fired a seven-round pattern, loaded automatically from a seven-round cylinder.

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