Field artillery ammunition support vehicle

Abstract

A field artillery ammunition support vehicle is mounted on an armored tracked chassis and has an armored body providing protection for the driver and for the crew within the vehicle. Within the armored body of the vehicle racks are provided for the projectiles and compartments are provided for the propellant charges. A vertical elevator is disposed within the vehicle body adjacent the projectile racks to receive projectiles and to carry them to a horizontally disposed conveyor which conveys the projectiles through a rear opening of the vehicle and into the adjacent gun vehicle when in firing position, the rear opening of the support vehicle having an armored door which is raised when supplying the gun vehicle to provide added protection for gun and vehicle crews. Compartments along the inner sides of the support vehicle body or housing carry the propellant charges which are placed on the conveyor behind each projectile for movement to the gun vehicle. The racks containing the projectiles may be individually loaded with projectiles at the ammunition dump by reverse movement of the conveyor and elevator or the empty racks may be lifted through a hatch in the top of the support vehicle and replaced with racks already loaded with projectiles. The projectile racks may also be removed and replaced when the vehicle is to supply a different caliber projectile. A powered hoist is mounted within the support vehicle for purposes of replacing the projectile racks and/or for replacing them with loaded projectile racks.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.