Bofors Ab

General Dynamics Armament Systems, Inc.

Bofors Defence Aktiebolag

Bofors Defense Ab

Sten Hallqvist

Par Andersson

David L Maher

Joseph F Bender-Zanoni

Sven-Erik Engstr&ouml;m

Bertil Wall

Torbj&ouml;rn Sandberg

Kent St&aring;lhandske

A method and arrangement for flick ramming projectile components such as shells or propellant powder charges in artillery pieces is disclosed which accelerates the projectile component to the necessary ramming velocity using an electromechanically generated energy supply in the form of starting acceleration from an electric motor. The rotating starting acceleration of the electric motor is mechanically converted into rectilinear acceleration, and the electric motor may be supplemented wit an energy supply obtained from a previously charged energy accumulator which is triggered simultaneously with the start of the electric motor.

Method and arrangement for loading artillery pieces by means of flick ramming

A device for assembling complete propellant charges from a plurality of modular propellant charges. A plurality of magazine tubes each receives a plurality of modular charges. Each magazine tube has an outfeed aperture. A plurality of ejectors eject the modular charges from the magazine tubes. At least one retrieval tube receives the modular charges from the magazine tubes. A manipulator alters a position of the at least one retrieval tube adjacent any of the magazine tubes for retrieving the modular charges from among the magazine tubes. The manipulator also alters the position of the at least one retrieval tube to be adjacent a loading mechanism of an artillery gun.

Method and device for handling propellant charges

The present invention relates to a method and a device for use in gun magazines first and foremost in automatic-loading artillery guns ( ) for arranging and stowing modular charges, and for delivering the desired number and type of modular charge ( ) for each loading occasion that may involve different charge strengths such as different lengths and diameters but which may be combined in the desired manner for each individual occasion to impart the correct performance to projectiles fired from the artillery gun.

Method and device for handling propellant charges of different sizes and charge strengths in artillery guns

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

Ramming system

Ammunition feeder

In an apparatus and method for separate rapid ramming of shells and propellant charges in a heavy artillery gun in which shells and propellant charges, up to the loading operation are separately stored and separately fed to each respective ramming position in the barrel of the gun, the gun includes two magazines disposed one on each side of the barrel of the gun and the loading apparatus for transferring shells and propellant charges to the breech of the barrel. The loading apparatus includes at least one loading cradle with a first track for shells and a second track for propellant charges, each track having a free-flight rammer. The loading cradle is inwardly pivotally mounted between a replenishment position on a side of the gun barrel and in immediate association with a magazine from which the shells and the propellant charges are loaded into the respective tracks and a ramming position in which the first and second tracks are alternately aligned with the main axis of the gun barrel for separately and successively throwing by the free-flight rammer the shells and propellant charges along their respective tracks into their ramming position in the gun barrel. The magazines and the loading cradle are connected with an elevating system of the gun to follow its movements and are therefore be always parallel with the main axis of the gun barrel.

Growing community of inventors

Vingåker, Sweden

Sten Hallqvist