US Government as Represented by the Secretary of the Army

U.S. Army Rdecom-Ardec

William Burgermeister

James C Lee

Brian R Hoffman

Roy A Zangrando

Robert Testa

Michael Manuel Mera

Bai Ming Cen

An ammunition magazine for feeding linked ammunition to a weapon system having a power take off (PTO) may include a housing with a storage cavity for the linked ammunition. A drive shaft may be rotatably fixed to the housing and may include a driver on one end for selectively engaging the PTO. A drive sprocket may be mounted on the drive shaft for engaging and moving the linked ammunition in a feed direction. The drive sprocket may include first and second sprocket wheels that engage a cartridge portion of the linked ammunition. A pick-off round opening may be formed in the housing for presenting a pick-off round to the weapon system. A link chute may be disposed below the opening and including an exit for ammunition links.

Active ammunition magazine

An automatically-reloadable, remotely-operated weapon system may include an operator station located distant from a weapon station. The weapon station may include an externally-powered firearm, a firearm mover for adjusting an azimuth and an angle of inclination of the firearm, and an ammunition storage and transport system for automatically moving ammunition to and from the firearm. From the operator station, a user may remotely control all aspects of firearm operation and ammunition reloading.

Automatically-reloadable, remotely-operated weapon system having an externally-powered firearm

An air, land, or sea vehicle may include a gun and a rotatable turret ring. An autoloader may be disposed in a basket fixed to the turret ring. The autoloader may include a turntable that rotates independently of the turret ring. An elevator having a track may rotate with the turntable. A carriage may be linearly translatable on the track of the elevator in directions toward and away from the plane of the turntable. A transfer device may be rotatably fixed to a pivot of the carriage. The transfer device may include a rail and a gripper that is linearly translatable on the rail.

Large caliber autoloader

A transporter may move a payload along a linear path. The transporter may include a stationary base and a first arm assembly. The first arm assembly may include a first gear coupled to the stationary base, an idler gear that meshes with the first gear, and a second gear that meshes with the idler gear. The transporter may include a driver for rotating the first arm assembly around the axis of the first gear. A second arm assembly may be rigidly coupled to the second gear such that rotation of the second gear rotates the second arm assembly around the axis of the second gear. The second arm assembly may include a third axis that is parallel to the axes of the first and second gears. A payload engager may be disposed at the third axis, for engaging and disengaging the payload.

Growing community of inventors

Freehold, NJ, United States of America

William Burgermeister