Rheinmetall Gmbh

Bernhard Schneider

Lothar Post

Horst Menges

For installation in confined areas, an externally driven automatic weapon includes an alternatable dual cartridge supply system having two supply chutes are disposed parallel to an axis of symmetry traversing a cartridge supply rotor and a control roller for the breech block drive. The internal guide surfaces of both chutes are formed by a central guide disposed on the axis of symmetry, with the maximum width of this central guide corresponding to the chord length of a segment of the rotor which is provided with three, symmetrically disposed recesses, so that the introduction of cartridges into the rotor from the linear cartridge chute can take place, for example, directly from the top. The supply of cartridges to the rotor is always effected during any given period of time from only one chute. If cartridges are supplied from the other chute, the direction of rotation of rotor changes so that the cartridges are transported directly from the waiting position of a respective supply star wheel associated with each chute and fixed to the weapon housing, into a recess of the rotor and are transferred by stepwise movement of the rotor to a breech block for further transport into a cartridge chamber. During the continuous supply of cartridges by a further star wheel fixed to the cradle housing to the star wheel fixed to the weapon housing, guide means guide the cartridges in the axial direction within the chutes. To eject cartridge casings, a guide lever associated with the chute not then being used to supply cartridges is pivoted into the associated chute in the lateral rotor region to direct the empty cartridge casings into a casing chute.

Alternatable dual cartridge supply system for an externally driven

For a space saving and shock free breech block for an externally driven automatic weapon, a control roller 10 includes two camming discs which offset by 180.degree. with respect to one another in a symmetrical manner and arranged one behind the other, so as to continuously rotate in the same direction as the control roller. For the displacement of two locking bars disposed on opposite sides of the breech block 9 in a direction transverse to the direction of movement of the breech block, respective slide members are arranged between the breech block guide path axis and the control roller 10. Each slide member grips around one of the camming discs by meane of a U-shaped pocket and transfers the transverse movement of the associated camming disc to an associated one of the locking bars for locking and unlocking breech block 9 in a form locking manner.

Rigidly lockable straight-action breech block for an externally driven

The arrangement for emergency actuating of the firing pin of a machine cannon having an exterior drive includes a percussion hammer that is loaded by a coil spring for the direct loading of the firing pin mounted in the breech block via an intermediate rod member. When in a loaded position and therefore ready for an emergency actuation, the percussion hammer is secured in its operating position by means of an arresting spring which engages with a pair of diametrically opposite nose members into an abutments forming part of the breech housing.

Arrangement for emergency actuation of the firing pin of a machine

A rapid-stop device for the control roller of an automatic weapon wherein for a space-saving arrangement, a brake unit forming part of the rapid-stop device is disposed in a longitudinally axial bore of the control roller. Within its jacket, the brake unit includes brake shims and pretensioned spring elements 79. The brake unit jacket is mounted on a central mandrel, which is fixed to the cradle housing, so as not to be displaceable in the axial direction, and is connected with the control roller so that it can rotate with same and so that the control roller can move axially relative to the jacket. For a braking process required in the case of malfunction or during normal shut-down of the automatic weapon, a trigger catch lever or a rapid-stop catch lever disposed in the housing engages in the sole catch edge of a brake disc which is coaxial with the support mandrel. At the same time, a control disc, which is drivingly connected for rotation with the control roller and which is normally connected with the brake disc in a forming locking manner by an axial displacement arrangement, displaces the brake disc, under the inertia of further rotating parts connected to the control disk, in the direction of the brake shims, and thus performs a safe and attenuated brake stroke.

Rapid stop device for an externally driven automatic weapon

A device performs forwardly oriented case ejection from an externally driven automatic cannon, the cannon having a chamber, a breechblock which is longitudinally movable along a path by the action of a rotating control cylinder and which simultaneously advances an ejecting device for ejecting a cartridge case, and an intermittently rotating rotor having a plurality of rotor pockets disposed circumferentially thereabout for moving a cartridge into the path of the breechblock and for removing a cartridge case from the path of the breechblock, wherein the ejecting device is a case pusher for ejecting empty cartridge cases, the case pusher being coaxially mounted within the rotor for longitudinal movement relative thereto, the case pusher including a plurality of carrier elements projecting radially into respective ones of the rotor pockets; and a connecting arrangement is used for joining the case pusher with the breechblock such that the case pusher is axially displaceable together with the breechblock and the case pusher intermittently rotates with the rotor.

Device for forward oriented case ejection in an externally driven

An improved ammunition feed and guide mechanism for an automatic gun barrel weapon such as an automatic machine cannon. This mechanism includes a breech mechanism mounted in a housing. The breech mechanism includes a breech body driven by a pair of rollers rotatably mounted in the housing parallel to the middle longitudinal axis of the housing. Each roller has a driving ramp disposed on its periphery and the breech body is provided with a pair of roller bearings respectively engaging the driving ramps of the rollers so that the breech body is linearly reciprocated between loading and firing positions via the rotation of the rollers and the engagement of the roller bearings in the driving ramps thereof. The pair of rollers are driven by means independent of the propulsion energy of the fired projectiles. When the breech body is in the firing position, the roller bearings and driving ramps are maintained substantially free from the influence of the axially acting recoil forces brought to bear on the breech body during firing.

Straight breech for an automatic gun barrel weapon, in particular a

This invention relates to an arrangement for rapidly stopping an automatic weapon having an external drive where the breech block is driven by parallel shafts. This arrangement provides for the rapid stopping of the shafts and thus the weapon by providing the shafts with coaxially mounted pockets at their ends in which a pair of claws may be engaged to stop the rotation of the shafts.

Arrangement for rapidly stopping an automatic weapon having an external

A device for quickly stopping a remote controlled automatic cannon having a breech block which can be moved by means of an endless control groove in an essentially rotationally symmetrical control roller, with each region of the control groove being associated with a respective function step within the firing cycle of the cannon. The device includes an element which rotates in dependence on the control roller and is provided with a stop abutment which is associated with a region of the control groove; and a control piston, which corresponds with the stop abutment, and which, during operation, can be moved axially, by propellant gases developed during firing of the cannon, so that one free end of the piston moves out of the circular path of movement of the stop abutment against a return force, and thus from a blocking position with respect to the stop abutment, into a release position with respect to the stop abutment.

Device for quickly stopping a remote controlled automatic cannon

A double-cartridge feeder has left and right sprocket wheel transport shafts. Each transport shaft is provided with a star wheel coaxially mounted thereon. A reciprocally movable switching fork is arranged on a first alternate drive. A second alternate drive serves for swinging of an inserter into an operative position in dependence with the sprocket wheel transport shaft which has been selectively driven via the first alternate drive. By means of a globoidal drive a uniform movement of an external drive is converted into a step-wise movement of the feeder.

Stepwise double-cartridge-alternate feeder for an automatic weapon

A cartridge casing detection system for detecting the presence or absence of a cartridge casing in the cartridge chamber of a machine cannon. A lever is pivotally mounted in a recess of the housing of the weapon. A sensor is connected to a switch. One free end of the lever is adapted to coact with the sensor tip and the other free end of the lever is adapted to coact with the edge of the cartridge casing when the latter is disposed in the cartridge chamber of a weapon. A breech block is reciprocally mounted in the weapon and includes a pocket past which the other free end may extend for contacting the cartridge casing when the breech block is in its forwardmost operative position.

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Niederkruchten, Germany

Bernhard Schneider