General Electric Company

Martin Marietta Corporation

General Dynamics Armament Systems, Inc.

General Dynamics Armament Sys., Inc.

Derek A Rodriguez

David L Maher

Joseph F Bender-Zanoni

Stephen Austin Jarvis

Anthony R Steward

Glenn P Livingston

Ned S Ashton

A system and method for selectively transferring storable units, particularly artillery propellant charge units, between a storage space and a location outside of the storage space, the system including a storage magazine having a plurality of parallel, axially elongated chambers opening at an end of the storage magazine, a shuttle having a transfer mechanism tube movable relative to the storage magazine between positions of axial alignment with each of the plurality of elongated chambers and the location outside of the storage space, and a feed mechanism to move the units between the transfer tube and the elongated chambers. Where the elongated chambers are respectively centered on Z axes with open ends presented at intersecting X and Y axes perpendicular to the Z axes, the shuttle is translatable in an X direction and supports the transfer tube on a Z-axis for movement in a Y direction relative to the storage magazine so that a combination of shuttle translation on the X axis and movement of the transfer tube on the Y axis positions the transfer tube in axial alignment with the respective open ends of each of the plurality of cylindrical tubes. The feed mechanism moves the charge units in the Z direction between the respective elongated chambers and the transfer tube. A conveyor aligned with a Z axis delivers charge units to and from the storage magazine and is positioned for transfer of charge units to and from the shuttle mounted transfer tube.

Method and apparatus for storing and handling propellant charge units

An ammunition storage and retrieval system comprises a passive magazine having left and right backs of cells arranged in rows, with each cell accommodating a projectile in vertical, base-down orientation; the cells and cell rows being defined by adjacent pairs of elongated superstructures. A projectile loading head is movably mounted by a traveling beam, in turn, movably mounted by elevated rails, such that the loading head may be translated through a center aisle to address a selected row in either bank and then through the selected row to a selected cell for downloading of a projectile therein. A projectile receiver, dependent from the loading head, includes projectile gripping arms and a projectile lifting foot, which are articulated in coordination with operation of projectile locking members mounted by the superstructures to effect downloading.

Ammunition storage and retrieval system

A compact ammunition magazine of high storage density contains an endless ammunition conveyor running in a serpentine path. The conveyor includes a succession of units consisting of a pair of rigidly connected tubes that receive ammunition rounds in snug-fitting relation. The tube units are pivotally interconnected by links of a single conveyor chain that is driven by plural drive sprockets to index the tubes to a single magazine port through which uploading/downloading of ammunition rounds is conducted. Guide rollers, fitted on the tubes at positions laterally spaced from the conveyor chain, roll on horizontal tracks within the magazine to provide conveyor support and guidance.

Active ammunition magazine with improved chain conveyor

To resupply a weapons vehicle, a resupply vehicle carries a docking boom which is maneuvered into a docking position to mate a docking head at its free end with a docking port on the weapons vehicle. The weapons vehicle is resupplied with ammunition and fuel through the docking boom. A wire communications link between the vehicles is also established through the boom. The boom docking and resupply operations are remotely controlled from within the resupply vehicle.

Growing community of inventors

Milton, VT, United States of America

Derek A Rodriguez