Controlled explosive, hypervelocity self-contained round for a large

Abstract

A round for placement and firing in the barrel of a large caliber gun, the round comprising a cartridge case defining a cylindrical chamber having axially opposed open and closed ends, a plurality of axially-adjacent annualr explosive charges coaxially-disposed in the chamber, the charges defining a bore coaxial with said chamber and each charge being shaped to generate on detonation a predetermined shock wave in the case, a projectile disposed in the chamber proximate the closed end, the projectile having a trailing end shaped to convert shock waves generated by detonation of the annular charges to projectile acceleration, an explosive in the case for initially propelling the projectile axially through the bore toward the open, end, an electrical detonator for each annular charge responsive to an electrical signal, and a power source and circuit for generating the electrical signal in response to axial movement of the projectile in the bore.