Rheinmetall Gmbh

Rheinmetall Industrie Gmbh

Rheinmetall Industrie Aktiengesellschaft

Rheinmetall W & M Gmbh

Rheinmetall Landsysteme Gmbh

L'etat Francais Represente Per Le Delegue Ministeriel Pour L'armement

Wilfried Becker

Klaus-Dieter Pahnke

Hans-Ulrich Desgranges

Bernhard Bisping

Erich Zielinski

Heinz-Josef Kruse

Achim Sippel

Werner Grosswendt

Gert Winkler

Herbert Lipp

Dirk Kilfitt

Josef Metz

Ulrich Theis

Michael Schwenzer

Udo Weinfurth

Heinz J Kruse

Wolfgang Boer

Gisbert Bartsch

Uwe Eisenkolb

Heinz Haas

Rudolf Romer

Stefan Thiesen

Peter Wallow

Jurgen Bocker

Jean-Claude Sauvestre

Walter Simon

Karl W Bethmann

Adolf Nordmann

Herbert Krumm

Manfred Moll

Patrick Montier

Herbert Scholles

Gerhard Glotz

Jurgen Meyer

Jurgen Winkelmann

Joel M Leblond

Hans-Werner Luther

Helmut Peller

Marc P Berville

Rolf Holl

Hans-Peter Opitz

Armin Eskam

Hans Moser

Klaus D Pahnke

Jochen Hoff

Rainer Diel

Josef Osthues

Henning Schaake

Monika Wildau

Jutta Peters

Detlef Behrens

Klaus-Dieter Panhke

Werner Roettges

Jurgen Huege

Raimond Germershausen

Hans Hulsewies

Klaus Bornefeld

Egon Gampe

Wolfgang Böer

A weapon system includes a carrier vehicle and a vehicle dependent mortar, wherein the carrier vehicle has a crew space and a weaponry space to house the mortar, and the mortar is charged in an index position with mortar grenades, with several sheddable propellant modules on the tail shaft thereof. The weapon system avoids manual loading of the mortar with mortar grenades because an automatic loader is arranged in a weapon space separated from the crew space by a separating wall. The loader transports the mortar grenade from a magazine in the weapon space into the index position of the barrel of the mortar and axially inserts it into the mouth of the barrel, and an automatic shedding device is arranged in the weapon space to automatically remove unnecessary propellant modules from the mortar grenade after fixing target parameters and before insertion of the mortar grenade into the barrel.

Weapon system with a carrier vehicle and a preferably vehicle dependent mortar

A carrier vehicle (1) for a tube weapon (2) having a resiliently arranged undercarriage (3) and a support arrangement (5) which in the combat-ready position is arranged between the vehicle (1) and the ground (4), with the support arrangement comprising at least one support (6). To avoid manual readjustment of the support arrangements (5), even when firing from a position with a soft underground, the supports (6), which are disposed at the tail of the vehicle (1), are arranged so as to be slidable in the direction of their longitudinal axes (7) via a positioning motor (15). The positioning motor (15) is connected to an electronic control device (16) which actuates the positioning motor (15) in a manner such that the support (6) is pressed against the ground (4) with a definable force before a shot is fired and compensation is provided for the gap (18) which occurs between the support (6) and the ground (4) after a shot has been fired because of the resilient yielding and rebounding of the undercarriage (3).

Carrier vehicle for a tube weapon

In order to accommodate the ammunition (7) in an ammunition magazine (1) in a space- and mass-saving manner without an external drive, and to subsequently remove the ammunition quickly from the magazine, the individual ammunition bodies (7) are disposed, with the aid of holders (10), on the chain links (8, 9) of a rigid-backed chain (6) (ammunition chain) seated to be displaced in two rails (3, 4). In such an arrangement, the ammunition (7) can be removed quickly from the magazine (1) through the withdrawal of the chain (6) and the pivoting of the individual chain links (8, 9) toward the rear side (15) of the chain (6), and stowed again when the chain (6) is pushed back into the magazine frame.

Ammunition magazine for large-caliber ammunition

A weapon assembly for an armored vehicle includes a turret; a turret cage attached to and being disposed underneath the turret; a weapon supported in the turret and having a barrel; and a belt magazine received in part in the turret and in part in the turret cage. The belt magazine has a loading belt and a plurality of horizontally disposed, ammunition-accommodating container tubes attached to the loading belt. The belt magazine further has a frontal receiving position above the turret cage and laterally of the turret. A loading tube is swingably supported behind the weapon for movement between a first position and a second position. In the first position the loading tube is in alignment with the container tube when the latter is in the frontal receiving position. In the second position the loading tube is in alignment with the weapon barrel in a rearward receiving position. There are further provided a first loading device for pushing ammunition from the container tube, when situated in the frontal receiving position, into the loading tube and a second loading device for pushing ammunition, in the rearward receiving position, from the loading tube into a loading chamber of the weapon.

Gun turret assembly for an armored vehicle

A mortar includes a weapon tube; a breech ring affixed to a rear part of the weapon tube; a loading tray supported by the weapon tube and extending rearwardly of the breech ring for receiving a mortar grenade prior to an introduction thereof into the weapon tube; and a breechblock plug movable along the loading tray for pushing a mortar grenade from the loading tray into the weapon tube. The breechblock plug has first and second positions: in the first position the breechblock plug is situated at a rear part of the loading tray and in the second position the breechblock plug is situated in the weapon tube. Further, a firing pin is provided which traverses the breechblock plug. The breechblock plug is secured in its second position by a locking mechanism.

Rear-loaded mortar having a breechlock plug and a loading tray

A weapon system for a combat vehicle includes a weapon movably mounted on the vehicle; an electronic weapon control device connected to the weapon; a weapon operating station for accommodating a gunner; a plurality of angled mirrors disposed in an array in the weapon operating station to provide a panoramic view for the gunner when situated in the weapon operating station; a separate switch associated with each angled mirror and connected with the electronic weapon control device; a camera attached to the weapon to be movable therewith; a display screen connected with the camera for reproducing an image representing a view seen by the camera; a support arrangement for movably supporting the display screen for travel along the array; a positioning drive connected to the electronic weapon control device and the display screen whereby upon operation of one of the switches belonging to one of the angled mirrors through which a target is observed, the electronic weapon control device moves the weapon at the target and simultaneously the positioning drive moves the display screen along the array to an immediate vicinity of the one angled mirror through which the target was observed.

Apparatus for aiming a weapon of a combat vehicle

A missile includes a warhead accommodated in an inner space at a front portion of the missile; a ball joint being in alignment with the longitudinal missile axis and pivotally supporting the warhead; and an aiming device for placing the warhead into a desired pivotal orientation. The aiming device includes a plurality of inflatable vessels arranged axially adjacent the warhead in a distribution about the missile axis. Each vessel has a first end oriented toward the warhead and a second end oriented away therefrom. The vessels are supported at their second end by a disk situated in the inner space of the missile. A gas generator is coupled to each vessel for charging the vessel with a gas to place the vessel into its inflated state. In the inflated state each vessel exerts a torque on the warhead about the ball joint by an engagement between the first end of the respective vessel and the warhead. Further, an electronic control system is accommodated in the inner space of the vessel. The electronic control system is connected to each gas generator for actuating a selected gas generator to place the warhead into a desired inclined orientation relative to the missile axis.

Missile having a pivotal warhead

A target-protecting device for rendering harmless a projectile impacting on the device includes a reactive armor extending over the target and being composed of a plurality of individually electrically ignitable modules. Each module has an explosively acceleratable armor plate. An additional armor extends over and is positioned at a distance from, the reactive armor. A sensor arrangement is provided at the additional armor for emitting a signal identifying a location of projectile impact on the additional armor. An electronic monitoring device receives signals from the sensor arrangement for determining, from the signals, a position of the projectile upon penetration of the additional armor and for applying an ignition signal to a respective module to explosively accelerate the armor plate of such module toward the projectile.

Protective device having a reactive armor

The invention relates to a device for guiding a missile (1; 30) with a missile tip (2) and a cylindrical section (3) adjoining the tip of the missile; the device is provided with at least one control block (4; 31, 32) with exhaust openings (13-15) of corresponding nozzle bodies (10-12) arranged perpendicularly in relation to the missile's surface. In order to accomplish effective guidance, particularly of high-speed missiles (1; 30), in a simple and cost-effective manner it is proposed that the control block (4; 31, 32) be constructed with a plurality of small, fast-burning rocket motors (7-9; 33-36) that are arranged radially on the missile's periphery (1; 30) and that are ignitable in a predeterminable sequence and number.

Device for guiding a missile

A casing bottom for a propelling charge including a circular ring shaped (annular) base plate (1) which accommodates a centrally arranged primer sleeve (7) in a form-locking manner. In order to be able to unload ammunition, particularly two-part ammunition including sub-caliber projectiles, the rear surface of the primer sleeve is provided with a recess for form-fittingly receiving an extractor. Preferably the recess is of a size which can be accommodated on a sub-caliber projectile.

Casing bottom for a propelling charge

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 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 subcaliber projectile including a penetrator preferably made of tungsten eavy metal, and having a penetrator tip section and a section following thereafter and extending over the major portion of the penetrator length which is provided with an external thread (helical groove) or circumferential annular grooves to provide a form-locking connection with a discardable propelling cage sabot. To realize improved piercing power for the penetrator, the form-locking region is composed of annular grooves without a pitch, or of a fine metric thread having a thread valley, with a width of approximately one to three times the base width of the groove defining wall or of a thread peak. Preferably a more brittle material is employed in the front penetrator region than in the tail region, and a further indentation structure is incorporated in the first frontal thread turns or grooves of the form-locking region.

Penetrator

A fin stabilized projectile in which measures are taken for increasing the thermal resistance of its guide fins against the uncontrollable danger of burning or melting due to overheating of the material as a result of air friction during the flight of the projectile. Each guide fin is composed, at least in the region of its leading edge of a heat resistant fiber material or a heat resistant composite fiber material. The fins may be composed entirely of the heat resistant material or the leading edges of the fins, the leading and outer edges of the fins, or the entire front fin portion may be configured as a strip of the fiber material in front of and fastened to a metal body member comprising the remainder of the respective guide fin. Moreover, the connecting region between any such strip and the metal body member is preferably configured with a sloped, and thus as a contact area which has a larger surface area. The strip is glued, riveted and/or screwed to the body member in the connection region. Furthermore, the fins are attached to the projectile by any one of the disclosed embodiments.

Fin stabilized projectile having heat resistant fins

A tank turret including an armored turret housing having a front side provided with solid front armor, and a pivotally mounted gun including a cradle shield, cradle, recoil device and rearward breech block housing being arranged in the turret housing. The armored turret housing, or at least parts of it, are used to increase recoil mass of the gun.

Tank turret with increased recoil mass

Growing community of inventors

Dusseldorf, Germany

Wilfried Becker