Rheinmetall Industrie Aktiengesellschaft

Rheinmetall W & M Gmbh

Rheinmetall Landsysteme Gmbh

Rheinmetall Industrie Gmbh

Hans-Ulrich Desgranges

Wilfried Becker

Uwe Eisenkolb

Heinz Haas

Dirk Kilfitt

Udo Weinfurth

Wolfgang Boer

Hans Moser

Klaus Bornefeld

A weapon system includes a carrier vehicle and a vehicle dependent mortar, wherein the carrier vehicle has a crew space and a weaponry space to house the mortar, and the mortar is charged in an index position with mortar grenades, with several sheddable propellant modules on the tail shaft thereof. The weapon system avoids manual loading of the mortar with mortar grenades because an automatic loader is arranged in a weapon space separated from the crew space by a separating wall. The loader transports the mortar grenade from a magazine in the weapon space into the index position of the barrel of the mortar and axially inserts it into the mouth of the barrel, and an automatic shedding device is arranged in the weapon space to automatically remove unnecessary propellant modules from the mortar grenade after fixing target parameters and before insertion of the mortar grenade into the barrel.

Weapon system with a carrier vehicle and a preferably vehicle dependent mortar

A carrier vehicle (1) for a tube weapon (2) having a resiliently arranged undercarriage (3) and a support arrangement (5) which in the combat-ready position is arranged between the vehicle (1) and the ground (4), with the support arrangement comprising at least one support (6). To avoid manual readjustment of the support arrangements (5), even when firing from a position with a soft underground, the supports (6), which are disposed at the tail of the vehicle (1), are arranged so as to be slidable in the direction of their longitudinal axes (7) via a positioning motor (15). The positioning motor (15) is connected to an electronic control device (16) which actuates the positioning motor (15) in a manner such that the support (6) is pressed against the ground (4) with a definable force before a shot is fired and compensation is provided for the gap (18) which occurs between the support (6) and the ground (4) after a shot has been fired because of the resilient yielding and rebounding of the undercarriage (3).

Carrier vehicle for a tube weapon

In order to accommodate the ammunition (7) in an ammunition magazine (1) in a space- and mass-saving manner without an external drive, and to subsequently remove the ammunition quickly from the magazine, the individual ammunition bodies (7) are disposed, with the aid of holders (10), on the chain links (8, 9) of a rigid-backed chain (6) (ammunition chain) seated to be displaced in two rails (3, 4). In such an arrangement, the ammunition (7) can be removed quickly from the magazine (1) through the withdrawal of the chain (6) and the pivoting of the individual chain links (8, 9) toward the rear side (15) of the chain (6), and stowed again when the chain (6) is pushed back into the magazine frame.

Ammunition magazine for large-caliber ammunition

A mortar includes a weapon tube; a breech ring affixed to a rear part of the weapon tube; a loading tray supported by the weapon tube and extending rearwardly of the breech ring for receiving a mortar grenade prior to an introduction thereof into the weapon tube; and a breechblock plug movable along the loading tray for pushing a mortar grenade from the loading tray into the weapon tube. The breechblock plug has first and second positions: in the first position the breechblock plug is situated at a rear part of the loading tray and in the second position the breechblock plug is situated in the weapon tube. Further, a firing pin is provided which traverses the breechblock plug. The breechblock plug is secured in its second position by a locking mechanism.

Rear-loaded mortar having a breechlock plug and a loading tray

A weapon system for a combat vehicle includes a weapon movably mounted on the vehicle; an electronic weapon control device connected to the weapon; a weapon operating station for accommodating a gunner; a plurality of angled mirrors disposed in an array in the weapon operating station to provide a panoramic view for the gunner when situated in the weapon operating station; a separate switch associated with each angled mirror and connected with the electronic weapon control device; a camera attached to the weapon to be movable therewith; a display screen connected with the camera for reproducing an image representing a view seen by the camera; a support arrangement for movably supporting the display screen for travel along the array; a positioning drive connected to the electronic weapon control device and the display screen whereby upon operation of one of the switches belonging to one of the angled mirrors through which a target is observed, the electronic weapon control device moves the weapon at the target and simultaneously the positioning drive moves the display screen along the array to an immediate vicinity of the one angled mirror through which the target was observed.

Growing community of inventors

Celle, Germany

Hans-Ulrich Desgranges