Abstract:
Ammunition containers are reloadable from within an armored vehicle to supply a remote weapon system mounted externally on the vehicle. The ammunition containers are designed to be fixedly mounted within an internal compartment of a weapon turret. In a first embodiment, at least one guide wall defines a spiral guide path for an ammunition belt, and a rotatable sprocket enables the belt to be loaded into the guide path. In a second embodiment, an ammunition clamp holds a round of ammunition, and the clamp is rotatable to wind the ammunition belt about the clamp's axis of rotation. A third embodiment has a guide sprocket and an adjacent peg to facilitate reloading an ammunition belt in horizontal layers. A fourth embodiment includes a pair of spaced support rails for hanging an ammunition belt in vertical columns, wherein rear ends of the rails may be located outside the container for easier loading.
Abstract:
A medium-caliber ammunition supply device for a turret mounted on an armored vehicle includes: at least one circular turntable, placed at the rear of the turret, for positioning medium-caliber ammunition in a strip or chain, vertically and along a spiral path; and structural elements for guided and pulled conveyance of at least one strip or chain of medium-caliber ammunition. The structural elements include at least a conveyor and a ratchet box. The structural elements successively include a first conveyor, a first ratchet box, a second conveyor, and a second ratchet box. The at least one circular turntable and the structural elements all are covered with a sheet-metal protection on their side faces and/or on an upper part or roof. The sheet metal protection has mobile hatches mounted in a rotating or pivoting manner, allowing partial or complete and ergonomic (re)loading and/or unloading of the at least one circular turntable.
Abstract:
A storage and feed mechanism (10) stores ammunition (A) for a weapon (W) and facilitates feeding the ammunition to the weapon during firing. A magazine (12) comprises a storage chamber located adjacent the weapon and capable of storing a plurality of rounds of the ammunition. Individual rounds of ammunition are linked together on an ammunition belt (B) which carries the rounds to the weapon during firing. An ammunition feed (32) includes an inlet chute (33a) positioned above the magazine and allowing linked rounds of ammunition to be vertically extracted from the magazine thereby preventing tip-over and similar problems. The feed further includes a fixed fan section (32a) comprising a rigid chute through which the belt of ammunition is drawn. A sprocket drive (62) includes an appropriate gear (64) which engages the ammunition belt to draw the linked ammunition from the magazine up through the chute to the receiver. Use of the rigid chute minimizes resistance to movement of the ammunition belt and eliminates jams caused by belt stretching, and enables ammunition to be fed to the weapon regardless of the weapon's angle of elevation during firing.
Abstract:
Belted ammunition of either the "ball" or the shorter "SLAP" type is supplied through a flexible feed chute to a 7.62 mm mini machine gun using a specially configured feed adapter interconnected between the outlet end of the feed chute and the inlet of the gun feeder mechanism. The feed adapter, through which the ammunition passes into the gun feed mechanism, is provided with at least one internal roller around which the ammunition belt operatively passes. The roller has a side surface contour with a sloped shoulder portion which complementarily engages the sloping shoulders of the individual ammunition rounds passing around the roller. This complementary shoulder engagement longitudinally indexes the rounds within the adapter and limits undesirable longitudinal shifting of the rounds therein. In one embodiment thereof the adapter is connected to an aircraft plank-mounted mini gun and permits the ammunition belt to be routed over the gun, turned downwardly, and then bent sharply back into the gun's feeder mechanism without tending to cause ammunition jamming at the feed mechanism due to the sharp belt bend. In a second embodiment thereof the feed adapter is connected to a pintle-mounted mini gun and serves to provide improved vertical pivoting clearance between the gun and an aircraft door or window sill structure upon which the gun-supporting pintle apparatus is mounted. In a third embodiment thereof the feed adapter is connected to a pintle-mounted gun slidably mounted on a pivotable support arm member extending outwardly through an aircraft side door opening.
Abstract:
The present invention relates to a firearm, generally of the automatic or semi-automatic type, having a reciprocating breech block normally biased into closed position by a primary recoil absorption system including a spring, the improvement comprising providing a secondary spring-biased recoil absorption system cooperating with the primary one during a portion of the retraction stroke of the block to slow down the movement of the latter before becoming inactive while the primary system slows the block to a stop and reverses its direction and then becoming active to once again cooperate with the primary system during a portion of the return stroke of the block to speed up its return to its original position. The invention also encompasses the improved method for controlling the movement of the breech block in the aforementioned type of weapon during its firing cycle wherein such movement during its initial and final stages is supplemented and abetted by a secondary spring-biased recoil absorption system cooperating with the primary one while, at the same time, leaving the primary system solely responsible during the remainder of the cycle to stop the block and reverse its action.
Abstract:
A feature of this invention is the provision of side stripping stripper which has a sprocket mechanism disposed on the closed side to positively drive both the rounds of ammunition and the respective links during the stripping operation.Another feature of this invention is the provision of a mechanism for receiving two feeds of linked ammunition and which has two, mutually interlocked, sprocket mechanisms, each disposed on the closed side of a respective feed of linked ammunition, so that one or the other sprocket mechanism is enabled to positively drive both the rounds of ammunition and respective links during the stripping operation of the selected feed of linked ammunition.
Abstract:
Two stage shell feeding apparatus for a reciprocating bolt-type automatic cannon or gun, comprises a first stage shell rotor, having a plurality of shell cavities, rotatably mounted between a shell supply and a cannon shell pick up position, such that when a shell in one of the rotor cavities is in the shell pick up position, an empty rotor cavity is in shell receiving relationship with the shell supply. After firing of the cannon and while the bolt is recoiling rearwardly, barrel gas operated actuating means cause rapid partial rotation of the rotor to index a rotor carried shell into the pick up position. A spring actuated, second stage shell advancing slide is simultaneously cocked to enable subsequent spring powered transferring of a free shell from the shell supply into the aligned rotor cavity during the remainder of the firing cycle. Shell accelerator means are provided to cause shell acceleration before bolt pick up impact. Configuration of the rotor cavities, a pair of feed lip members adjacent the shell pick up position and shell deflector means control movement of shells from the pick up position into a cannon firing chamber.
Abstract:
This invention has the provision of a plurality of cam driven follower assemblies carried by the rotor, one for each gun bolt, for pushing a round from the feed sprocket to the gun bolt, and from the gun bolt to the exit sprocket.
Abstract:
An arrangement of the components of a revolving battery gun such that the center of gravity of the assembly is located on the axis of the firing barrel at the time of its maximum recoil thrust. The required location of the center of gravity is achieved by the use of a relatively small number of barrels in a Gatling gun having a two-revolution main cam. Such a configuration permits the firing barrel to be placed relatively near to the gun rotor axis and permits the gun feeder, as well as the drive, recoil adapters, and other accessory devices to be placed on the same side of the gun as the firing barrel. In this location, the accessory devices counterbalance the weight of the rotor and barrel cluster, thereby placing the center of gravity of the assembly approximately on the axis of the firing barrel. The recoil thrust then passes through the center of gravity of the recoiling mass, eliminating pitch and yaw moments.
Abstract:
An ammunition conveyor system comprising a series of rigid U-shaped conveyor elements, each element having resilient means secured thereto for releasably retaining a cartridge case to said element, and a series of rigid links, each link respectively intercoupling two adjacent elements, said resilient means also serving to releasably capture the two intercoupling links to the respective element.