US Government As Represented by the Secretary of the Army

Other

Gregory Malejko

John C Grau

Keith R Fulton

Anthony Vella

Eric P Scheper

Ductri Nguyen

Walter H Koenig

Peter Burke

John DiPalma

Daniel Pascua

Philip M Donadio

A statically stabilized projectile may include a fixed tail boom that may be disposed in the through-bore of a sliding tail boom. The sliding tail boom may translate or extend rearward with respect to the fixed tail boom before the projectile exits a launch tube. The through-bore of the sliding tail boom may include a tapered portion. A tail boom sleeve may be fixed to a rear portion of the fixed tail boom. The tail boom sleeve may include a tapered portion that abuts the tapered portion of the through-bore when the sliding tail boom is in an extended position.

Extendable stabilizer for projectile

An apparatus for adapting a rocket-assisted artillery projectile of a first caliber for firing from a smooth bore tube of a second caliber may include an adapter for connecting to an aft end of the rocket-assisted artillery projectile. The adapter may include a main channel for receiving rocket exhaust, a plurality of sub-channels that lead from the main channel to an exterior of the adapter, and an ignition channel that leads from the main channel to an ignition delay disposed in the adapter. A tail boom may be fixed to an aft end of the adapter. The tail boom may include an opening in a fore end that communicates with the ignition delay in the adapter. Lifting surfaces, such as fins, may be attached to the tail boom.

Apparatus for adapting a rocket-assisted projectile for launch from a smooth bore tube

A variable drag projectile stabilizer is utilized by a training projectile to match the trajectory of a tactical projectile for up to 3 km while having a range limitation of 8 km. The stabilizer applies supersonic flow phenomena to alter the aerodynamic characteristics of a training projectile while in free flight to fulfill this requirement. The stabilizer uses a cowling supported by struts to provide tail lift and ensure a stable flight path. Supersonic flow is established through ducts formed by the cowling and struts when launched from a weapon. The flow remains supersonic until the projectile reaches the desired range but then quickly becomes subsonic (choked) due to shock waves emanating from interior angles in the ducts. The geometry of the ducts can be designed to create different shock wave patterns within the ducts. The variance of leading edge location, leading edge angle, cowling intake angle, and flight Mach number influences the shock patterns within the ducts and consequently, the range of the projectile.

Variable drag projectile stabilizer for limiting the flight range of a training projectile

An apparatus for protecting an object from an incoming munition includes a tracking apparatus mounted on the object, for tracking the incoming munition; a firing solution computer connected to the tracking apparatus; a plurality of launch tubes mounted on the object, the plurality of launch tubes pointing in different directions so as to maximize coverage of an area surrounding the object; a parachute container attached to each launch tube; an igniter disposed in a rear of each launch tube and connected to the firing solution computer; a propelling charge disposed in front of each igniter; a mass disposed in front of each propelling charge; a connecting ring attached to a front of each mass; a parachute disposed in the parachute container; and a cable connecting the connecting ring and the parachute.

Parachute active protection apparatus

A projectile includes an elongated forebody and an aft section secured to the forebody. The aft section includes a pair of fins affixed to an aerodynamic, cylindrical section. The lift generated by the low-drag pair of fins is sufficient to counteract most foreseeable angles of attack to be experienced by the projectile. The aft section further includes a bearing that couples the aft section to the forebody of the projectile and is capable of allowing the aft section to rotate freely about the longitudinal axis of the projectile and independently of the forebody. Thus, during flight the aft section rotates into the maximum lift plane and provides a restoring moment to the projectile, thus providing necessary stability to the projectile while imparting minimum drag.

Fin-stabilized projectile with improved aerodynamic performance

A cartridge for a kinetic energy projectile, where the projectile has a deter of less than a gun bore diameter and the projectile is saboted in order to support and guide the projectile along the gun bore. The sabot 42 has a closing disk 48 which radially extends from the projectile or penetrator 41 to the internal diameter of the gun bore. The closing disk is positioned on the penetrator at a location spaced from an open end 14 of a cartridge case 49. A shell 13 extends from the closing disk to the open end 14 of the cartridge case. The shell 13 is positioned adjacent the internal diameter of the gun bore, and the shell 13 along with the sabot defines a sabot volume. The sabot volume along with the volume defined by the cartridge case is filled with propellant.

Velocity enhancing projectile sabot

A soft-recovery projectile having an aft portion, a forward portion and a gas seal mounted between the portions. The aft portion includes a recoverable payload such as projectile components or the like. The forward portion includes a parachute that is attached to the payload and is stored in a housing which is separably attached to the payload. The housing includes an explosive charge which is slectively triggered to cause separation of the housing from the payload and deployment of the parachute. A fin assembly, mounted on the housing, exerts a destablizing moment on the projectile when it is oriented with the fin assembly directed into the flight path. The projectile is launched with the fin assembly as the nose and the payload as the tail. After launch, the destabilizing moment will reorient the projectile into a position where the payload is the nose and the fin assembly is the tail. In this position, the fin assembly exerts a stabilizing moment on the projectile. At this point, the parachute is deployed by triggering the charge and thereby separating the housing and fin assembly from the payload.

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Hackettstown, NJ, United States of America

Gregory Malejko