Gun with combined operation by chemical propellant and plasma

A gun having a barrel and a breech for launching a projectile with the combustion gases of a solid chemical propellant, comprising

• a barrel,
• a breech connected to said barrel, said breech in operation containing a cartridge containing a round of ammunition consisting of a single charge combustible solid chemical propellant and a projectile,
• electrothermal energy injection means comprising a breech-associated plasma injector means located to the rear of the breech comprising a plasma jet generator, and a chamber arranged between said plasma jet generator and said breech, said chamber containing a light working fluid having a molecular weight not exceeding that of said chemical propellant;
• electric pulse generating means for the successive energization of said plasma injector means, said electric pulse generating means providing at least two plasma pulses for each round of ammunition, each plasma pulse causing a jet of energized gas to be injected into said breech and impinge said single charge of combustible solid chemical propellant, and
• means for providing an injection of energized gas into said barrel after at least one of said plasma pulses has been injected into said breech,
• said electrothermal energy injection means providing sufficient jets of energized gas to ignite said combustible solid chemical propellant and to accelerate said projectile, such that said projectile is launched by the combined propulsion of said combustible solid chemical propellant and said energized gas.