US Government As Represented by the Secretary of the Army

George E Hathaway, Iv

Donald Forkas

Robert J Facteau

Ronald Gast

Ronald S Jacobs

Richard F Becker

Mark D Witherell

Steve Tauscher

Leon J Bennett

Edward William Holmes

Henry Sneck

Jose Santiago

Wayland P Barber

Brian James Van De Wal

KarolAnne Madulka

Carlos I Gutierrez

Brett L Stewart

Joshua W Ward

Karolanne L Madulka

Ramon Espinosa

Zachary P Jablonka

Lee Bennett

A Handle and Firing Mechanism Assembly (H&FMA) provides a robust and streamlined H&FMA for a mortar weapon system. The H&FMA is easier to assemble and eliminates jamming issues, and firing pin protrusion adjustment procedures. It also incorporates a lighter trigger squeeze in Trigger fire mode and locks the firing pin in Drop fire mode. The handle is easier and more cost effective to produce. The H&FMA can be used with, for example, a 60 mm mortar weapon system.

Handle and firing mechanism assembly

Mortar training aid

An external firing mechanism for a muzzle loaded mortar system incorporates a drop fire mode, a lever fire mode and a safe mode. The firing mechanism is easy to assemble or replace and does not require an adjustment procedure when mounting to the mortar system. The firing mechanism utilizes bearing balls as a tripping device which transfers potential energy in a compressed spring to kinetic energy of a firing pin oriented orthogonal to that spring.

Firing mechanism assembly

Bore swabbing tool

A finless mortar tube made of a superalloy includes, seriatim, a breech end, a beginning taper point, an ending taper point, a lower clamp region, an upper clamp region, and a muzzle end. The nominal wall thickness of the tube is constant from forward of the breech end to the beginning taper point and the nominal wall thickness of the tube decreases from the beginning taper point to the ending taper point. The mortar tube is capable of a substantial increase in the rate of fire compared to conventional mortar tubes.

Superalloy mortar 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 cooling fin for a mortar tube comprises a plurality of discrete nibs disposed on an external surface of the mortar tube wherein the nibs are arranged in longitudinal rows spaced circumferentially around the mortar tube. Preferably, the number of longitudinal rows of nibs is thirty-six. The nibs have a substantially square cross-section.

Mortar tube with cooling fin

A mortar munition includes a mortar tube; an opening in the wall of the mortar tube; a spring loaded valve assembly disposed in the opening in the wall of the mortar tube; a solenoid having a plunger, the plunger being disposed to open the spring loaded valve assembly; and a vacuum source connected to the spring loaded valve assembly.

Mortar bomb vacuum positioning apparatus

A mortar munition includes a mortar tube; first and second openings in the wall of the mortar tube, the first opening being closer to a breech end of the mortar tube than the second opening; a spring loaded valve assembly disposed in the first opening in the wall of the mortar tube; and a shoe assembly disposed in the second opening in the wall of the mortar tube. The spring loaded valve assembly is connected to a vacuum source. The vacuum source pulls the mortar bomb rearward in the tube. The shoe assembly includes a shoe that bears on the mortar bomb to hold it in place when the tube is in an elevated position.

Mortar bomb positioning apparatus

A training mortar apparatus includes a small mortar tube and a large mortar tube, the small mortar tube being disposed in the large mortar tube; a removable base cap attached to one end of the small mortar tube; a plug inserted in the removable base cap; a removable firing pin inserted in the plug; a second base cap attached to one end of the large mortar tube; and at least one opening in the large mortar tube, the opening being axially aligned with the removable firing pin of the small mortar tube. Improved manufacturing methods are also disclosed.

Mortar tube for training

A mortar bomb retention apparatus for retaining a mortar bomb in a mortar tube includes a lever arm; a lever positioner in which the lever arm is rotatably mounted; a generally cylindrical housing having a central opening therethrough, the central opening comprising a large diameter portion and a small diameter portion, the lever positioner being fixed to the housing; a shoe disposed in the central opening in the housing; a compression spring disposed around the shoe in the large diameter portion of the central opening; and a shoe cap attached to an end of the shoe, one end of the compression spring bearing against the shoe cap, a portion of the lever arm contacting the shoe cap wherein rotation of the lever arm is operable to force the shoe downward.

Mortar bomb retention apparatus

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.

Growing community of inventors

Sprakers, NY, United States of America

George E Hathaway, Iv