Rheinmetall Gmbh

Firma Rheinmetall Gmbh

L'etat Francais Represente Par Le Delegue General Pour L'armement Bureau

Karl W Bethmann

Rudolf Romer

Peter Wallow

Klaus Gersbach

Bernhard Bisping

Hans W Luther

Walter Simon

Manfred Moll

Christian Jaeneke

Reinhart Fuchs

Wilfried Becker

Jurgen Bocker

Jean-Claude Sauvestre

Ulrich Theis

Patrick Montier

Gerhard Glotz

Juergen Boecker

Jurgen Boecker

Rigobert Opitz

Jurgen Flach

Juegen Boecker

Bernahrd Bisping

A unitary ammunition unit comprising a propellant charge. An explosive sub-caliber projectile having a pull-drive type of sabot is mounted on the propellant charge. The sub-caliber projectile is at least partially formed of a heavy-metal-sinter alloy of high density.

Unitary projectile

A propelling cage sabot is provided with longitudinal slits and its front region is provided with centering holding elements which are oriented inwardly toward the projectile while its rear region has a centering face associated with the projectile. A rear opening in the propelling cage sabot is provided with an internal thread to accommodate a screw-in element which at its front serves as a seat for a tail surface of the projectile. Compressible band-shaped elements disposed around the circumferential region of the propelling cage sabot may be provided. Conical surfaces of the propelling cage sabot facilitate insertion of the arrangement at a cadence customary in automatic equipment, with any possibly occurring insertion shock not resulting in relative axial movement of the projectile with respect to the propelling cage sabot due to a frontal holding region and the centering surface. Under the influence of the air streaming in from the front, the parts of the propelling cage sabot formed by the above-mentioned longitudinal slits and held together in the frontal region by the band-shaped element are pivoted away from the projectile and tear apart the band-shaped element, thereby releasing the projectile from the propelling cage for further unimpeded flight.

Propelling cage projectile arrangement

A subcaliber projectile has a small-diameter projectile body extending along and centered on an axis, having a radially outwardly directed outer surface, and adapted to move in a predetermined axial back-to-front direction, and a sabot formed of a plurality of similar segments annularly surrounding at least a portion of the body, the segments forming an inner surface generally on the outer surface of the body and having an extreme front end and an extreme rear end. This projectile is formed on one of these surfaces at the extreme rear end of the sabot with a radially projecting ridge of generally semicircular shape having a center of curvature. The other of the surfaces is formed at the extreme rear end of each segment of the sabot with a radially open recess complementary to and receiving the ridge. In addition the segments are pivotal about the center of curvature without the ridge leaving the recess from a position with the respective inner surface lying on the outer projectile-body surface and a position with the inner surface projecting at an angle away therefrom.

Subcaliber projectile with pivotally separable drive cage

A sub-caliber armor-piercing projectile exhibits for improving its penetration effect against a strongly inclined target surface a break-up in the region of a fracture zone of an expendable nose portion. The latter is provided at its point region with an arrangement which favors a sliding-off, which arrangement includes at least two frusto-conical surfaces which encompass the longitudinal projectile axis A and which surfaces are differently inclined with respect to the longitudinal axis of the projectile or include a sphere disposed in a spherical recess. The arrangement can be cladded with a ballistic hood and can be provided in the region of the frusto-conical or the spherical surfaces with a lubricating medium. The fracture zone is constructed in such a way that when a deviating sliding-off of the arrangement occurs, as large as possible a twisting impulse is transferred under the main projectile portion in order to improve its penetration capability by means of a more favorable penetrating angle.

Armor-piercing projectile

An armor-penetrating projectile comprises an outer substantially cylindrically tubular member of great length/diameter ratio and density, centered on an axis, and having an axially throughgoing bore defined by an inner surface and an axially elongated inner member of greater strength and elasticity than the outer member extending axially through the bore the full length of the outer member and having an outer surface in tight radial contact with the inner surface of the outer member at at least a plurality of annular locations spaced along the axis. This inner member can be a bundle of wires that is inserted through the bore after the outer member has been expanded by heat, then twisted and longitudinally prestressed to lock tightly in the outer member.

Armor penetrating projectile

A method and apparatus for covering a target area with ammunition, wherein a container, which contains active bodies W arranged on different decks 30.1, 30.2 and which is to be brought over the target area, releases the active bodies W through release openings 34 on its sides to become effective from above on respective individual flight paths against objects, for example armored vehicles, present in the target area.

Method and apparatus for covering a target area with ammunition

In the method and apparatus for covering a target area with ammunition, a container, which contains active bodies W arranged on different decks 30.1, 30.2 and which is to be brought over the target area, releases the active bodies W through release openings 34 on its sides to become effective from above on respective individual flight paths against objects, for example armored vehicles, present in the target area.

Inserts for hollow charges, especially for armor-piercing projectiles, are formed with a monocrystalline, unitary structure by melting and directional solidification of a body of the insert material, e.g. copper, in which a shaping member has been provided.

Method of making a hollow-charge inserts for armor-piercing projectiles

A projectile arrangement for a gun barrel weapon having a plurality of sub-caliber projectiles which are mounted on a common sabot which is composed of a plurality of segments. These projectiles are designed for a sequential flight one behind the other at predetermined distances and along a common flight path and are joined to each other by means of a wire. The leading projectile deactivates a detonating charge upon impacting on a target region of a 'actively armored' target, so that the next following projectiles can become target-effective without being disturbed.

Projectile arrangement for a weapon having a gun barrel

A process and arrangement for introducing an automatic cleaning device into the open end of a gun barrel so that the cleaning device may reciprocably move through the gun barrel and clean it. The cleaning device includes a drive motor, drive rollers, a pair of oppositely rotating brush members and sensing means. The arrangement for introducing the cleaning device into the gun barrel includes a lower trough-like member adapted to be joined to the muzzle of the gun barrel and an upper complementary member which jointly form a composite pipe member having essentially the same caliber than the gun barrel. A centering and tensioning mechanism is mounted on the muzzle of the gun barrel and serves to connect the composite pipe member to the gun barrel in axial alignment therewith. The cleaning device is positioned on the trough-like member and thereafter the complementary member is mounted on the trough-like member and connected thereto. The cleaning device is then introduced into the gun barrel in a last process step. The process and arrangement of the invention for introducing an automatic cleaning device can also be used to clean cylindrical surfaces other than gun barrels such as, for example, pipe lines which can be disassembled.

Growing community of inventors

Moers, Germany

Karl W Bethmann