Marine firing weapon for fighting airborne targets, especially in zenith

A marine firing weapon containing a plurality of weapon barrels for use with a marine vessel for combating airborne targets both in zenith and in azimuth, comprising:

• means defining an azimuth alignment axis;
• means defining an elevation alignment axis;
• a support device;
• multi-barrel weapon means mounted for pivotable movement about said elevation alignment axis on said support device;
• a substantially wedge-shaped socket upon which there is pivotably mounted said support device for pivotal movement about said azimuth alignment axis;
• said azimuth alignment axis being inclined with respect to a vertical;
• a respective ammunition magazine for each weapon barrel of the multi-barrel weapon means;
• a respective elastic belt channel leading from a related one of said ammunition magazines to a related one of said weapon barrels;
• a bent central substantially vertical column about which there are arranged said ammunition magazines;
• said bent central substantially vertical column being provided at an upper end thereof with a bent portion merging with a substantially vertical column portion;
• means for guiding said plurality of elastic belt channels along said bent central substantially vertical column from the stationary ammunition magazine to the individual weapon barrels;
• said guiding means comprising:
• a plurality of cage members rotatably mounted upon the substantially vertical column portion of the bent central substantially vertical column;
• substantially vertical guide rails provided at each cage member for each elastic belt channel;
• a respective substantially helical-shaped rail secured to the central substantially vertical column below a transition bend located between the vertical column portion and the bent portion of the bent central substantially vertical column and serving for lifting a related one of the elastic belt channels;
• stop means for limiting the rotation of the cage members;
• and
• the range of rotational movement of the cage members being progressively stepwise greater from the bottom towards the top of the bent central substantially vertical column.