US Government As Represented by the Secretary of the Army

Edward William Holmes

Wayland P Barber

Leslie C Blahut

George E Hathaway, Iv

Donald Forkas

Lee Bennett

Paul J Koelbel

Carlos I Gutierrez

An obturator assembly for sealing the breech of a breech-loaded cannon includes a generally annular seal, a front split ring, a rear split ring, a rear inner ring, an annular disc, and a plurality of magnets disposed in the seal. The seal has a front portion with a leading angled surface and a rear portion. The rear portion includes a trailing angled surface and a flat surface. A plurality of magnets is disposed in holes in the leading angled surface of the front portion and in the flat surface of the rear portion. Magnets in the holes in the front portion hold the front split ring in abutment with the seal. Magnets in the holes in the rear portion hold the annular disc in abutment with the rear split ring and rear inner ring. The front split ring, rear split ring, rear inner ring, and annular disc may rotate with respect to the seal when the breech is opened or closed.

Obturator seal apparatus and method

A breech assembly for a weapon may include a breech ring and a carrier fixed to a shaft. The shaft may be rotatably mounted to the breech ring. A breech block may be fixed to the carrier and insertable into and out of an opening in the breech ring by rotating the shaft. A notch may be formed in an end of the shaft. A lock may be translatably disposed in the breech ring and translatable into and out of the notch in the end of the shaft. Translation of the lock into the notch may rotatably lock the shaft with respect to the breech ring.

Positional lock for carrier assembly of breech-loaded weapon

A firing pin position indicator may be mounted to the breech end of a weapon. The indicator may include a solenoid with a plunger and a firing pin adapter that is selectively engageable with the plunger. The firing pin adapter may be fixed to the firing pin of the weapon. The solenoid plunger may be coupled to a quick-release lock. The quick-release lock may be selectively engageable with the firing pin adapter. The quick-release lock may include a housing and a spring-loaded piston that is translatable in the housing. The quick-release lock housing may be coupled to the solenoid plunger with a pin. A sensor may sense the position of the solenoid plunger and may provide a control signal to the weapon.

Firing pin position indicator for gun

A breech-loaded weapon may include a carrier at its breech end. The carrier may include a breech block support. A screw block may be rotatable on the breech block support of the carrier. The carrier may include a supporting protuberance and the screw block may include a supporting projection having an undercut portion. A spring-loaded plunger may be disposed on the carrier and a plunger recess may be defined in the screw block. In a retained position of the screw block, the undercut portion of the supporting projection may engage the supporting protuberance of the carrier and the spring-loaded plunger may engage the plunger recess.

Apparatus and method for retaining screw breech block

The breech end of a gun may include a quick-release spindle assembly. A carrier may have a locking collar rotatably disposed therein. The locking collar may have a through-bore and one or more projections extending into the through-bore. The locking collar may be rotatable between spindle lock and spindle release positions. A spindle may be translatably disposed in the through-bore of the locking collar. The spindle may include one or more projections extending radially outward from a rear outer surface of the spindle. In the spindle lock position of the locking collar, the projections of the spindle may be aligned with the projections of the locking collar to thereby prevent translation of the spindle in a forward direction. In the spindle release position of the locking collar, the projections of the spindle may not be aligned with the projections of the locking collar to thereby allow translation of the spindle in a forward direction.

Quick-release spindle for gun tube

A revolving firing pin system is mechanically linked to a screw-block in a breech-loading mortar system, wherein the revolver firing pin assembly rotates on a centerline that is offset from the centerline of the screw-block assembly. When the revolver firing pin assembly is rotated, the firing pin assembly also rotates. However, until the screw-block assembly is locked, the firing pin is in a safety position that is not in line with the primer of the munition loaded into the mortar system. Only when the screw-block is rotated into a locked position does the firing pin align with the primer of the munition to thus be able to strike the primer when the solenoid is electronically actuated.

Revolving firing pin assembly

A bipod support apparatus for an indirect fire weapon such as the 120 mm mortar comprised of a 55 degree ramp and a longer travel distance between the low, middle and high positions which allows for the mounting of the bipods buffer mechanism to the 120 mm mortar tube to stay in one location at 15.54 inches from the muzzle end of the mortar tube, throughout all the adjustment positions and elevation ranges (800 mils to 1512 mils). The three positions, in lieu of the current two position system, eliminate the constant changing of elevation adjustment positions. The new elevating support assembly with its new guide assembly allows for a smooth motion/transition between the three positions of the main base assembly. A new locking mechanism rotates a quarter turn (90&deg;) to lock or unlock the elevating support assembly. Such lock or unlock action now only requires a one hand operation to unlock-lift-lock the elevating support assembly.

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Valley Falls, NY, United States of America

Edward William Holmes