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US 5,686,686 AGranted
Hand emplaced underwater mine penetration system
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
InventorsRobert C. Woodall, Jr., Felipe A. Garcia
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A hand emplaced underwater mine penetration system includes a launching ambly and a munition assembly. The launching assembly includes a firing device which receives a magnetic or acoustic signal from a standoff signal generator, and a launch tube having a forward open end, an opposite rear end connected to the firing device and a bore extending between the ends. The munition assembly is adapted for insertion within and firing from the bore of the launch tube of the launching assembly and includes a cartridge having explosive elements therein and a fuze disposed at a forward end of the cartridge and adapted to detonate and explode the explosive elements in the cartridge upon impact with an underwater mine.
Claims12
A hand emplaced underwater mine penetration system, comprising:
- (a) a launching assembly including
- (i) a firing device adapted to activate upon receipt of a predetermined signal and
- (ii) a launch tube having a forward open end, a rear end opposite from said forward open end and connected to said firing device and a bore extending between said forward and rear ends;
- and
- (b) a munition assembly disposed at a rest position within said bore of said launch tube of said launching assembly adjacent to said firing device thereof for firing from said rest position in said bore of said launch tube, said munition assembly including
- (i) a cartridge having a projectile body formed by an outer annular wall and an inner transverse wall spaced from opposite ends of said outer annular wall and extending transversely across and attached to said outer annular wall, said outer annular wall and inner transverse wall together defining separate rear and forward cavities in said projectile body with said rear cavity being disposed adjacent to said firing device of said launching assembly and said forward cavity being spaced from said rear cavity and disposed remote from said firing device,
- (ii) said cartridge also having a propellant disposed within said rear cavity adjacent to said firing device and adapted to ignite upon activation of said firing device and an explosive warhead disposed within said forward cavity, said inner transverse wall being disposed between said rear and forward cavities and thus separating said propellant in said rear cavity from said explosive warhead in said forward cavity so that ignition of said propellant in said rear cavity, that fires said cartridge from said launch tube, is prevented from causing premature detonation of said explosive warhead in said forward cavity, and
- (iii) a fuze disposed adjacent and attached to a forward end of said cartridge and adapted to detonate and explode said explosive warhead in said forward cavity of said projectile body of said cartridge upon impact with an underwater mine after said firing of said cartridge from said bore of said launch tube,
- (iv) said fuse including a housing having a forward end and a rear end, and a nose cone connected to and extending forwardly from said forward end of said housing, said rear end of said housing being interfitted with said outer annular wall of said projectile body such that said rear end of said housing extends within said forward cavity of said projectile body,
- (v) said fuze further including a firing pin enclosed in said nose cone and mounted to said forward end of said housing, a booster charge located at said rear end of said housing and extending therewith in said forward cavity of said projectile body to said explosive warhead in said forward cavity of said projectile body, and a detonator disposed in said housing between said firing pin and booster such that said explosive warhead is exploded by detonation of said booster charge as a result of actuation of said detonator by impact from said firing pin.
7 more elements
A munition assembly for exploding upon impact with an underwater mine, comprising:
- (a) a cartridge including
- (i) a projectile body formed by an outer annular wall and an inner transverse wall spaced from opposite ends of said outer annular wall and extending transversely across and attached to said outer annular wall, said outer annular wall and inner transverse wall together defining separate rear and forward cavities in said projectile body,
- (ii) a propellant disposed within said rear cavity of said projectile body and adapted to ignite upon activation of a firing device,
- (iii) an explosive warhead disposed within said forward cavity of said projectile body, said inner transverse wall being disposed between said rear and forward cavities in said projectile body and thus separating said propellant in said rear cavity from said explosive warhead in said forward cavity so that ignition of said propellant in said rear cavity is prevented from causing premature detonation of said explosive warhead in said forward cavity;
- and
- (b) a fuze disposed at and attached to a forward end of said cartridge and adapted to detonate and explode said explosive warhead in said forward cavity of said projectile body of said cartridge upon impact with an underwater mine, said fuse including
- (i) a housing having a rear end and a forward end, said rear end being interfitted with said outer annular wall of said projectile body such that said rear end of said housing extends within said forward cavity of said projectile body,
- (ii) a nose cone connected to and extending forwardly from said forward end of said housing,
- (iii) a firing pin enclosed in said nose cone and mounted to said forward end of said housing,
- (iv) a booster charge located at said rear end of said housing and extending therewith in said forward cavity of said projectile body to said explosive warhead in said forward cavity of said projectile body, and
- (v) a detonator disposed in said housing between said firing pin and said booster such that said explosive warhead is exploded by detonation of said booster charge as a result of actuation of said detonator by impact from said firing pin.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.