General Electric Company

Martin Marietta Corporation

General Dynamics Armament Systems, Inc.

General Dynamics Armament Sys., Inc.

Joseph F Bender-Zanoni

David L Maher

Sten Hallqvist

Thomas W Cozzy

Derek A Rodriguez

Anthony R Steward

Bertil Wall

Jeffrey P Johnson

Michael J Laurin

Glenn P Livingston

Stephen A Jarvis

Ned S Ashton

Howard T Cook, Jr

Richard F Leopold

An ammunition storage and retrieval system for a weapon is provided. The storage and retrieval system includes a main magazine having a main carrier belt that is configured to store a plurality of munitions have a first set of handling characteristics and a handoff unit that retrieves a selected one of the plurality of munitions and transfers the selected munition to the weapon. The main magazine also includes an auxiliary magazine mount. There is further provided a set of auxiliary magazines that are selectively engageable with the auxiliary magazine mount. A first one of the auxiliary magazines is configured to store munitions having the first set of handling characteristics and a second one of the auxiliary magazines is configured to store munitions having a second set of handling characteristics.

Modular ammunition storage and retrieval system

A system and method for selectively transferring storable units, particularly artillery propellant charge units, between a storage space and a location outside of the storage space, the system including a storage magazine having a plurality of parallel, axially elongated chambers opening at an end of the storage magazine, a shuttle having a transfer mechanism tube movable relative to the storage magazine between positions of axial alignment with each of the plurality of elongated chambers and the location outside of the storage space, and a feed mechanism to move the units between the transfer tube and the elongated chambers. Where the elongated chambers are respectively centered on Z axes with open ends presented at intersecting X and Y axes perpendicular to the Z axes, the shuttle is translatable in an X direction and supports the transfer tube on a Z-axis for movement in a Y direction relative to the storage magazine so that a combination of shuttle translation on the X axis and movement of the transfer tube on the Y axis positions the transfer tube in axial alignment with the respective open ends of each of the plurality of cylindrical tubes. The feed mechanism moves the charge units in the Z direction between the respective elongated chambers and the transfer tube. A conveyor aligned with a Z axis delivers charge units to and from the storage magazine and is positioned for transfer of charge units to and from the shuttle mounted transfer tube.

Method and apparatus for storing and handling propellant charge units

To distribute power to plural, widely spaced driven sprocket sets of an ammunition magazine chain conveyor, one or more elongated drive shafts, driven by a prime mover, are journalled in closely spaced relation to a magazine sidewall and carry worms in axial positions to mesh with worm gears fixed on the sprocket shafts of the driven sprocket sets. The axial positions of the worms on the drive shafts are conveniently adjustable to coordinate the timings of the driven sprocket sets. One of the driven sprocket sets is also positionally adjustable to tension adjust the ammunition chain conveyor.

Ammunition magazine drive system

To handle the transfer of ammunition between a turret bustle magazine and hull magazines of a military tank, a carriage is mounted for horizontal movement between a stow position and a transfer position and for vertical movement between an upper position addressing the bustle magazine and lower positions addressing the hull magazines. An ammunition carrier is mounted to the carriage for rotational motion in a vertical plane driven off the vertical carriage motion, such that the carrier swings around the cannon breech protruding into the turret in assuming reversed end-to-end horizontal orientations when presented to the bustle and hull magazines. Extractor assemblies are axially reciprocated within a carrier tube by a stroke multiplier mechanism to engage and release the base rim of projectile and propellant modules pursuant to transferring modules between the carrier and the hull magazines. Projectile and propellant modules are united while the carrier tube is presented to the bustle magazine.

Automated ammunition handling system

A double-ended ammunition handling system for feeding a rapid-fire gun comprises a magazine including a plurality of coextensive channels having entry ends presented to a magazine entrance unit and exit ends presented to a magazine exit unit. Live ammunition rounds are scooped from the channel exit ends in repeating succession by the magazine exit unit and merged into a continuous stream which is fed to the gun. The magazine entrance unit accepts a stream of spent shell casings from the gun, which are inserted in the channel entry ends in corresponding repeating succession to push the live ammunition rounds in the channels toward the magazine exit ends. The magazine entrance and exit units utilize either complementary rotary or linear scoop assemblies, and the magazine channels may be implemented as replaceable ammunition clips.

Double-ended ammunition handling system for rapid-fire guns

An extensible ammunition conveyor includes telescoping conveyor sections mounting pairs of laterally spaced sprockets adjacent the conveyor section ends. A pair of endless chains are trained about these sprockets in coextensive, transversely spaced relation with each chain having transversely lapping run portions extending along the telescoped end portions of the conveyor sections. The sprockets of each pair are mounted in angularly relation to provide an effectively V-shaped open trough for transversely confining cylindrical ammunition rounds during conveyance motivated by driving the chains in unison. Jointly braking and driving the chains in an appropriate direction produces powered extension and contraction of the conveyor.

Extensible ammunition conveyor

An ammunition handling system is provided with a magazine consisting of a plurality of modular, highly portable magazine packs which are readily installed in a mechanized support frame. The magazine packs contain separate ammunition conveyors commonly driven from the frame. Guides are positioned to effect direct transfers of ammunition rounds between conveyors of adjacent ammunition packs and thus to establish linear linkless ammunition round movement along a serpentine path leading to a magazine exit and ultimately to a rapid-fire gun. Rearming the gun simply involves replacing empty magazine packs with magazine packs pre-loaded with live ammunition rounds.

Growing community of inventors

Grand Isle, VT, United States of America

Joseph F Bender-Zanoni