# US 10,502,537 B1 · Enhanced terminal performance medium caliber multipurpose traced self-destruct projectile > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,502,537 B1 - Document ID: US10502537B1 - Status: Granted - Kind: B1 - Application number: 16/165,366 - Filed: 2018-10-19 - Granted: 2019-12-10 - Earliest claimed: 2017-10-20 - Assignees: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army - Applicants: U.S. Government as Represented by the Secretary of Army - Inventors: Nicole Sapp; Jeffrey Darbig; Jonathan Escobar - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10502537B1 ## CPC - F42B 12/208: {characterised by a plurality of charges within a single high explosive warhead} - F42B 12/06: with hard or heavy core; Kinetic energy penetrators (F42B12/16, F42B12/74 take precedence) - F42B 12/207: {characterised by the explosive material or the construction of the high explosive warhead, e.g. insensitive ammunition} - F42B 12/38: of tracer type - F42C 1/10: without firing-pin - F41H 11/02: Anti-aircraft or anti-guided missile {or anti-torpedo} defence installations or systems (cartridges or missiles for producing smoke or for dispensing radar chaff or infrared material F42B5/15, F42B12/48, F42B12/70; {informative reference: details of radar or sonar systems G01S7/00; jamming or electronic countermeasures G01S7/38, G01S7/495, H04K3/00}) - F42B: EXPLOSIVE CHARGES, e.g. FOR BLASTING, FIREWORKS, AMMUNITION (explosive compositions C06B; fuzes F42C; blasting F42D) - F42C: AMMUNITION FUZES (blasting cartridge initiators F42B3/10; chemical aspects C06C); ARMING OR SAFETY MEANS THEREFOR (filling fuzes F42B33/02; fitting or extracting primers in or from fuzes F42B33/04; containers for fuzes F42B39/30) - F41H: ARMOUR; ARMOURED TURRETS; ARMOURED OR ARMED VEHICLES; MEANS OF ATTACK OR DEFENCE, e.g. CAMOUFLAGE, IN GENERAL ## Abstract An ammunition round comprises an optimized projectile incorporating a hardened penetrator and an explosive self-destruct mechanism for a medium caliber high rate of fire round. The ammunition round incorporates a hardened segment penetrator followed by a pyrotechnically initiated high explosive warhead that substantially increases the effective range and terminal performance against RAM targets. The hardened segment penetrator localizes the kinetic energy of the projectile to increase target penetration prior to the initiation of the high explosive warhead. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A projectile for an ammunition round, the projectile comprising: a nose assembly further comprising a nose cap, a hardened segmented penetrator positioned within the nose cap, and a closure plug securing the hardened segmented penetrator within the nose cap; a warhead assembly rearward of the nose assembly and further comprising a body which partially receives the nose assembly, and a dual purpose explosive charge assembly housed within the body for extending the ballistic effect of the projectile when a target is engaged and for self-destructing the projectile when a target is not engaged; a tracer assembly housed within a cavity in the base of the body and further comprising a tracer charge for tracing a projectile trajectory and initiating the dual purpose explosive charge when a target is not engaged; and wherein the closer plug further comprises a support rim in contact with the both for preventing rearward axial movement of the closure plug and upon impact with a target, the support rim is configured for shearing thereby allowing rearward axial movement of the closure plug such that after engaging a target, the explosive charge is initiated by impact with the closure plug. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The projectile of claim 1 wherein the hardened segmented penetrator further comprises a penetrator tip and one or more penetrator bases. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The projectile of claim 1 wherein the hardened segmented penetrator is formed from a tungsten alloy. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The projectile of claim 1 wherein the explosive charge is initiated after a predetermined delay upon the projectile engaging a target. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The projectile of claim 2 wherein the one or more penetrator bases define a hollow interior. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The projectile of claim 5 wherein the penetrator tip is hollow and aligned with the hollow interior of the one or more penetrator bases thereby forming an interior volume in the hardened segmented penetrator and wherein the interior volume is filled with an incendiary charge configured for facilitating initiation of the explosive charge assembly upon impact with a thin skinned target. ### Claim 7 (depends on 2) The projectile of claim 2 wherein the penetrator tip is formed from a reactive metal. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The projectile of claim 1 wherein the closure plug is hollow. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The projectile of claim 1 wherein the closure plug is filled with a reactive metal which interacts with the explosive charge assembly. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The projectile of claim 1 wherein the explosive charge assembly further comprises an initiating charge positioned at a front end of the explosive charge assembly, a self-destruct initiating charge positioned at a rear end of the explosive charge assembly and an explosive charge positioned between the initiating charge and the self-destruct initiating charge. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The projectile of claim 10 wherein the initiating charge is initiated by an impact with the closure plug and in turn initiates the explosive charge. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The projectile of claim 10 wherein after a predetermined time without engaging a target, the tracer charge heats a portion of the body between the tracer charge and the self-destruct initiating charge to a temperature sufficient to initiate the self-destruct initiating charge which in turn initiates the explosive charge. ### Claim 13 A projectile for an ammunition round, the projectile comprising: a nose assembly further comprising a nose cap, a hardened segmented penetrator positioned within the nose cap and further comprising a penetrator tip and one or more penetrator bases, the one or more penetrator bases defining a hollow interior, and a closure plug securing the hardened segmented penetrator within the nose cap; a warhead assembly rearward of the nose assembly and further comprising a body which partially receives the nose assembly, and a dual purpose explosive charge assembly housed within the body for extending the ballistic effect of the projectile when a target is engaged and for self-destructing the projectile when a target is not engaged; a tracer assembly housed within a cavity in the base of the body and further comprising a tracer charge for tracing a projectile trajectory and initiating the dual purpose explosive charge when a target is not engaged; and wherein the penetrator tip is hollow and aligned with the hollow interior of the one or more penetrator bases thereby forming an interior volume in the hardened segmented penetrator and wherein the interior volume is filled with an incendiary charge configured for facilitating initiation of the explosive charge assembly upon impact with a thin skinned target. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The projectile of claim 13 wherein the explosive charge assembly further comprises an initiating charge positioned at a front end of the explosive charge assembly, a self-destruct initiating charge positioned at a rear end of the explosive charge assembly and an explosive charge positioned between the initiating charge and the self-destruct initiating charge. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The projectile of claim 14 wherein the initiating charge is initiated by an impact with the closure plug and in turn initiates the explosive charge. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The projectile of claim 14 wherein after a predetermined time without engaging a target, the tracer charge heats a portion of the body between the tracer charge and the self-destruct initiating charge to a temperature sufficient to initiate the self-destruct initiating charge which in turn initiates the explosive charge. ### Claim 17 A projectile for an ammunition round, the projectile comprising: a nose assembly further comprising a nose cap, a hardened segmented penetrator positioned within the nose cap and further comprising a penetrator tip and one or more penetrator bases, and a closure plug securing the hardened segmented penetrator within the nose cap; a warhead assembly rearward of the nose assembly and further comprising a body which partially receives the nose assembly, and a dual purpose explosive charge assembly housed within the body for extending the ballistic effect of the projectile when a target is engaged and for self-destructing the projectile when a target is not engaged; a tracer assembly housed within a cavity in the base of the body and further comprising a tracer charge for tracing a projectile trajectory and initiating the dual purpose explosive charge when a target is not engaged; and wherein the closure plug is filled with a reactive metal which interacts with the explosive charge assembly. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The projectile of claim 17 wherein the explosive charge assembly further comprises an initiating charge positioned at a front end of the explosive charge assembly, a self-destruct initiating charge positioned at a rear end of the explosive charge assembly and an explosive charge positioned between the initiating charge and the self-destruct initiating charge. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The projectile of claim 18 wherein the initiating charge is initiated by an impact with the closure plug and in turn initiates the explosive charge. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) The projectile of claim 18 wherein after a predetermined time without engaging a target, the tracer charge heats a portion of the body between the tracer charge and the self-destruct initiating charge to a temperature sufficient to initiate the self-destruct initiating charge which in turn initiates the explosive charge.