US Government As Represented by the Secretary of the Army

Ernest Lee Logsdon

Leon Manole

Stewart Gilman

Anthony J Sebasto

Gary Anthony Pacella

Arthur Ricardo Pizza

Wilfredo Toledo

Kevin Stoddard

John Shelp

Daniel Vo

Robert Nodarse

Samuel A Lafontaine

Samuel LaFontaine

Mark Nicolich

Erinn Harbeck McCarthy

Steven Kelley

Remi Chian

Melissa Wanner

Shown is a family of low spin and essentially no spin, full in-bore 40 mm projectiles which can be fired from a standard M203 or M320 grenade gun launcher. The projectiles have extended range through over 1000 meters and also have the capability for adding on guidance-navigation and control features/components for great accuracy. Increased accuracy is also provided by another, rear fin type projectile embodiment. The projectiles can be lengthened to accommodate more lethal fragments, and increased amount of explosive and energetic. At the same time, there is provided a training round of analogous performance for all these tactical projectiles.

Training (reuseable), and tactical (guidance adaptable), 40 mm projectile

A cartridge launched in an M203/M320 gun launcher device, which cartridge has fins of 1-5 inches in length to insure flight stability without spinning the cartridge. The non spin makes the cartridge capable of having a guidance navigation and control, canard actuating system added between the body and nose. The guidance navigation and control, canard actuating system features now make the cartridge suitable for successfully attacking stationary and moving targets not heretofore possible.

Enhanced stability extended range (guidance adaptable) 40 mm projectile

A non-spinning 40 mm ammunition round for firing in an M320 grenade launcher. The round includes a cylindrical shaped gun sleeve cartridge case, which covers the standard rifling inside the M320, and thus presents a smooth bore surface to the fired ammunition. Because the ammunition is not launched in a spinning mode, it may now comprise those guidance and camera components as may be desired which components would not have been possible to employ on a round that is spinning.

40 mm gun sleeve cartridge case for M320 grenade launcher ammunition

A 40 mm ammunition projectile for firing without significant spin in an M203 or an M320 grenade launcher. The ammunition includes a projectile body having hollow inner cavity therein for an explosive warhead; a projectile fin assembly; a projectile nose element having a conically shaped front area thereon; a decoupled projectile sabot in two or more joining sabot petals enclosing the body; a base cartridge case having vent holes, a bowl area for placement of a copper closure cup containing propellant therein, and a closure plug for threading into the rear of said cartridge case. The projectile fin assembly may provide a canted angle on each fin blade to (relatively very slowly) spin up the round at less than 30 Hz. Projectiles with body length less than five inches may be launched in an M203 grenade launcher while projectiles with body length up to eight inches may be launched in an M320 grenade launcher.

40 mm low drag extended range projectile

Described are flameless tracer munitions that are expelled from land mines or in hand thrown devices, which are used to mark an enemy person, vehicle body, or tires on the vehicle, with materials that emit infrared (IR) light, or heat emitting materials, or with a visible ink or a dye. The subjects are then identified and pursued because of the ink or seen with infrared reading or heat seeking devices. The devices are both long duration (several hours) and also have high light intensity tracing and marking. These munitions are non-impact and non-lethal; are non-toxic, and biodegradable.

Land mine, and hand thrown, weapon which dispenses marking chemicals

A rod sleeve made of smart material sleeves and/or steel sleeves with smart material rings surrounds the rod of a kinetic energy projectile. The rod may be made of DU, tungsten, or other material. Smart materials are materials such as nickel-titanium (nitinol) and copper aluminum nickel (CAN) that can be trained to change to one or more particular shapes at predetermined temperatures. The change in shape occurs on a molecular level, almost instantaneously. The rod sleeve can be made all or in part from smart material. The smart material is trained to shrink at cold temperatures and expand at hot temperatures. The sleeve may then be heated and expanded to allow the sleeve to be pressed on the rod. As the sleeve cools, it compresses and provides required support to rod during gun launch of the kinetic energy projectile. The sleeve heats up while traveling down range due to the aero-ballistic heating of the sleeve material. At this higher temperature, the sleeve expands. Upon projectile impact with the target, the sleeve minimally penetrates the target, allowing the rod to slip supported through the sleeve and penetrate the target. The sleeve supports the rod as it penetrates the target but does not inhibit its penetration, remaining behind as the rod continues to penetrate the target.

Sleeve for structurally supporting a penetrator of a kinetic energy projectile

A flameless tracer/marker provides heat mark chemicals with optional chemlucents chemicals that can be carried and delivered by a projectile to mark a target. This marking payload may be carried by small, medium and large caliber projectiles that are part of ammunition items including 20 and 40 mm grenade launched, 90 mm, 105 and 120 mm tank, 60, 81 and 120 mm mortar and 105 and 155 artillery ammunition. This ammunition is gun launched and the projectiles can provide a heat trace to the target and/or upon impact with the target the projectile breaks or shatters and leaves a heat signature on the target for up to several hours. Included with these heat chemicals may be optional chemlucents. This heat mark may be placed into a lethal and non-lethal projectile. This allows heavy and light armor targets, vehicles, buildings and personnel to be marked without extensive damage to the target and without seriously injuring a person. The target may now be heat marked and chemlucent marked.

System and method for a flameless tracer/marker utilizing heat marking chemicals

Small, medium and large caliber ammunition housing multiple projectiles are traced by means of a tracing/marking system utilizing chemlucent chemicals. The tracing/marking system also provides target marking when using small, medium and large caliber ammunition. Multiple projectiles are coated in a chemlucent chemical (referenced as the coating) and placed in the ammunition. Additionally, a liquid chemlucent chemical in a separate container is placed in the ammunition. When launched or fired from a gun or munition, the separate container breaks and the coating and the chemlucent chemicals combine, emitting light. The present system applies to multiple projectiles that are either launched in a scatter pattern from a gun or dispersed in a scatter pattern after the housing of the ammunition opens up outside the gun after firing. For military ammunition, the tracing/marking system may use buckshot, steel balls, or tungsten balls. The tracing/marking system may also use various shaped projectiles such as stars, cubes, balls or flechettes. The chemlucent chemicals used by the tracing/marking system are non-flammable, biodegradable, and non-toxic.

System and method for a flameless tracer / marker for ammunition housing multiple projectiles utilizing chemlucent chemicals

A system and method for improving the process of mechanical translation of projectiles by a spring mechanism that is built of a smart material and that is activated by an electric pulse, to provide a controlled translation of a projectile before firing or, in case of pre-firing termination, in order to restore the projectile to its original position after translation. The pre-firing translation using the spring mechanism provides a more controlled process and reduces the risk associated with the conventional propulsion charge translation design. The ability to return the projectile to its initial state after translation affords a significant advantage over the conventional propulsion charge design since it enables the projectile firing to be terminated even after translation, unlike in the conventional design whereby the projectile firing is irreversible upon a mechanical translation by setting off the propulsion charge.

System and method for effecting mechanical translation of projectiles in cased telescoped ammunition using smart material

13A case telescoped ammunition cartridge includes: a cylindrical cartridge case, a projectile disposed within the casing and a sleeve surrounding a portion of the forward end of the projectile. An obturator is disposed between the aft end of the sleeve and part of forward end of the projectile. A cup-shaped aft end seal is affixed to the case at the aft end thereof so as to be relatively movable with respect thereto during firing of the cartridge. The seal includes an external lateral surface adapted to engage an inner wall surface of a gun chamber. A cup-shaped forward end seal is affixed to the case at the forward end thereof so as to be relatively movable with respect thereto during firing of the cartridge. The forward end seal includes an external lateral surface adapted to engage the inner wall surface of the gun chamber and an external end surface adapted to abut a forward end surface of the gun chamber. The forward end seal is secured to a corresponding portion of the forward end of the sleeve within the case.

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Newton, NJ, United States of America

Ernest Lee Logsdon