Ammunition handling and loading system

Apparatus for handling rounds of ammunition having a generally cylindrical cross-sectional configuration and an extractor groove adjacent to one end, comprising a housing having a frame, a first endless conveyor having upper and lower runs mounted on said frame, said first conveyor including a plurality of spaced generally parallel ammunition receiving members, each of said receiving members including separate first and second sections spaced apart from each other a predetermined distance, means for placing a round of ammunition on each receiving member of the upper run of said first conveyor, said first section of each of said receiving members having a ridge for engaging the extractor groove of a round of ammunition, a second endless conveyor having upper and lower runs with portions positioned between said first and second sections of said first conveyor adjacent to one end, said second conveyor including a plurality of spaced ammunition receiving elements, the movement of the upper run of said second conveyor being synchronized with the movement of the upper run of said first conveyor so that the ammunition receiving elements of said second conveyor are at least momentarily axially aligned with the receiving members of said first conveyor and cause said elements to remove rounds of ammunition from said receiving members and means for driving said first conveyor and said second conveyor in synchronization with each other.

Apparatus for handling ammunition and loading the same into a military aircraft having an armament system, comprising a transport vehicle having at least two boxes thereon, one of said boxes being empty and the other box containing an ammunition belt including a multiplicity of interconnected containers each of which carries a round of ammunition having an extractor groove at one end, a belt handling apparatus mounted on said boxes, said belt handling apparatus having sprocket means located above said other box for removing said belt therefrom and flaker means located above said one box for subsequently discharging said belt into the same, an ammunition transfer vehicle adapted to be positioned adjacent to the military aircraft and adjacent to said transport vehicle, said transfer vehicle including an endless cradle conveyor having upper and lower runs, said upper run receiving said belt from said belt handling apparatus, said cradle conveyor having a plurality of cradles defining first and second portions in spaced aligned relationship with each other, said first portion of each cradle having means for engaging the extractor groove of a round of ammunition, cam means adjacent to said cradle conveyor for engaging said belt containers and moving said containers away from said rounds of ammunition, an endless feed conveyor having upper and lower runs, a portion of said feed conveyor located between said first and second portions of said cradle conveyor, said feed conveyor including a plurality of spaced ammunition receiving elements synchronized with the movement of said cradles of said cradle conveyor, said elements on the upper run of said feed conveyor receiving rounds of ammunition from the upper run of said cradle conveyor, said feed conveyor having an interface unit selectively connected to the armament system of the aircraft, said interface unit removing said rounds of ammunition from said elements of the upper run of said feed conveyor and discharging the same into said armament system while receiving spent shell casings from said armament system and inserting the same into said elements of the lower run of said feed conveyor, said elements of the lower run of said feed conveyor being synchronized with the cradles of the lower run of said cradle conveyor so that said cradles remove the spent casings from said elements, cam means adjacent to the lower run of said cradle conveyor for moving said belt containers axially onto said casings, and means for discharging said belt from said transfer vehicle to said flaker means of said belt handling apparatus.