Krauss-Maffei Wegmann Gmbh & Co. Kg

Universität Des Saarlandes

Universität Des Saarlandes, Körperschaft Des Öffentlichen Rechts

Michael Kohlstedt

Christoph Wittmann

Heinrich Heldmann

Martin Kuhl

Judith Becker

Lars Schneider

Peter Liebel

Heinz-Jürgen Schlömer

Ernst Reiting

Jessica Stolzenberger

Joost Van Duuren

Sören Starck

Rudolf Richter

Paul De Wild

Heike Hoeltzen

Nadja Barton

Jörg Bachmann

Michael Fritz

Mirjam Selzer

Markus Scharf

Michael Erbs

Michel Fritz

Jozef Van Duuren

A firing module having a fully automatic shell supply mechanism for supplying shells to a heavy weapon in a housing. A shell ram having a loading tray is disposed on a free end of a shell transfer arm that is pivotable between a raised position, in which the loading tray is aligned with the gun bore axis, parallel to a plane of elevation, and a lowered position, in which the tray is essentially vertical. A gripping mechanism on a shell transport arm grasps a vertical shell stored in at least one ammunition magazine for supplying a shell from a shell transporter, to the loading tray, in the lowered position of the shell transfer arm. The ammunition magazines and transporter are disposed in the housing ahead of a trunnion. The loading tray is pivotable about a pivot axis, which is essentially vertical in the lowered position of the shell transfer arm, by at least 180&#xb0; between a receiving position opening ahead of the trunnion, and a delivery position opening behind the trunnion. At least one propellant charge magazine is disposed in the housing next to or behind the trunnion. A fully automatic propellant charge supply mechanism is disposed in the housing for supplying propellant charges to the weapon, and has a propellant charge supply tray pivotable into a region behind the weapon and in alignment with the gun bore axis.

Firing module

An artillery gun having a weapon disposed on a carrier vehicle is provided and comprises a first module, containing the weapon and mounted on a gun mount and also containing at least a portion of an automatic projectile feed mechanism. A second module contains further portions of the projectile feed mechanism. A standby member disposed to the rear of a projectile transporter of the feed mechanism is displaceably guided and can be disposed in a transfer position parallel to a charger disposed on a free end of a projectile transfer arm of the first module. A third module is provided and is embodied as a munitions magazine in which are stored upright projectiles that are adapted to be grasped via a projectile transporter and, accompanied by rotation and alignment, are conveyed via the standby member and charger into a region at the rear of the end of the weapon and to be raised into a loading position. At least one fourth module forms the carrier vehicle.

Artillery gun with a heavy weapon arranged on a support vehicle

Growing community of inventors

Immenhausen, Germany

Michael Kohlstedt