Hughes Helicopters, Inc.

Bill Moore

The side stripping of ammunition from linked ammunition belts in an automatic weapon system is improved by providing a stripping mechanism including a link sprocket for engaging the link belt and rounds and including a synchronously rotating follower guide. A plurality of followers are disposed and slidable within a corresponding plurality of radial slots defined in the follower guide. Two followers are provided for each round which could be accommodated by the link sprocket. The follower slides radially along the slot in the following guide toward and away from its corresponding round as controlled by a cam pin extending from the follower and engaging a cam raceway in an adjacent fixed cam plate. By this means a purely radially force is symmetrically applied to each round through the longitudinal axis of the round and perpendicular to the axis of the sprocket so that no net torque is applied to the round or its corresponding link. Furthermore, the sprocket size and rate of rotation is chosen so that the tangential velocity at handoff of the round to a feed rotor from the link sprocket substantially equals the tangential velocity imparted to the round by the feed rotor which accepts the stripped round and carries the round into a feed mechanism within the automatic weapon system.

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Sepulveda, CA, United States of America

Bill Moore