Rheinmetall Gmbh

Helmut Peller

Gerhard Glotz

Werner Grosswendt

Wilfried Becker

Heinz-Josef Kruse

Jens Seidensticker

Hans-Peter Opitz

Josef Osthues

Hartmut Schilling

Gerhard Goltz

Jutta Peters

Hanjoerg Becker

A projectile for a surface-to-surface weapon to combat a target from the top. The projectile includes a warhead; a propulsion system for accelerating the projectile directly after the projectile is placed in flight; a stabilizing guide assembly; a sensor for detecting a target in a longitudinal and lateral direction; and a pulse generator for turning the projectile about its center of gravity. The projectile additionally includes electronics for activating the warhead and for controlling the propulsion system and the pulse generator. A control unit rotates independently of the shaped charge warhead and houses the sensor, pulse generator and electronics. The pulse generator is arranged offset with respect to the sensor in the circumferential direction of the control unit. The electronics actuates the pulse generator in response to the sensor detecting a target, at a given distance ahead of such target, to produce a measured and radially directed control pulse to pivot the projectile so that it is aimed directly at the top of the target. The propulsion system additionally includes a drive assembly which is fired to accelerate the projectile toward a target, immediately after the projectile has been pivoted toward the target by the pulse generator. A mechanism is provided for preventing a restoring force generated by the ambient air from returning the projectile to the direction of flight existing prior to being pivoted.

Antitank weapon for combating a tank from the top

A fin stabilized ballistic projectile comprises a projectile body having a plurality of stabilizing fins and an ejectable projectile tip detachably attached to the front of the projectile body. An ejection mechanism is operatively disposed for ejecting the projectile tip. A sensor is disposed in the projectile tip for scanning a target area. A warhead is disposed at the front of the projectile body behind the projectile tip and includes a curved fragmentation plate for discharging fragments at a target, with the fragmentation plate being openly exposed when the projectile tip is ejected, and an explosive charge disposed behind the fragmentation plate. A control unit is connected to the sensor for receiving the target signals and having outputs coupled to the ejection mechanism and the explosive charge, the control unit producing controls signals in dependence of the target signals for causing the ejection mechanism to eject the projectile tip and for subsequently detonating the explosive charge thereby causing the fragmentation plate to break up into fragments and discharging the fragments at high acceleration within an angle of revolution determined by the degree of curvature of the fragmentation plate.

Fin stabilized projectile

A fin stabilized subammunition body including a target detection device and being ejectable in a target area from a spin stabilized artillery carrier projectile. The target detection device includes a fixed sensor for detecting a target and producing target signals representing characteristics of the detected target, a reference platform for producing inertial reference signals, and a controller connected to the fixed sensor and the reference platform for producing drive control signals for selectively actuating a plurality of microreaction drive mechanisms arranged for producing transverse acceleration forces for aligning the body with a detected target.

Fin stabilized subammunition body

The invention is concerned with a projectile with a stabilizing device that is depolyable beyond the caliber and that should at least comprise an object rotatable about its axis. The stabilizing device can be telescopically arranged and can have a cover that is shaped to conform to the surface of the projectile when the device is not deployed.

Projectile with rotatable stabilizing device

Growing community of inventors

Dusseldorf, Germany

Helmut Peller