US 5,969,289 AGranted

Subcaliber projectile

AssigneeRhienmetall W& M GmbH

InventorsBernhard Bisping, Jurgen Kolodzey, Wolfgang Stein, Alfons Sackarndt

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A subcaliber projectile, comprising a penetrator (4) and a propelling cage (5, 5') that surrounds at least a midportion of the penetrator, wherein the base region (8) of a cap (7, 7', 7") that is tapered toward the penetrator point (6) is arranged on the propelling cage (8). To achieve, on the one hand, a good and secure feeding during the firing of the projectile with automatic weapons, and, on the other hand, a good hit capability, the inertial forces of the cap (7, 7', 7") during the acceleration of the projectile (2) inside the weapon tube (1) are used to cause a defined disintegration of the cap (7, 7', 7") into segments. For this purpose, the cap (7, 7', 7") is supported in its base region (8) on a surface (9, 9') of the propelling cage (5, 5') that is tapered conically toward the projectile point, such that during the acceleration of the projectile (2) inside the weapon tube (1), the cap (7, 7', 7") is displaced axially in the direction of the propelling cage (5, 5'), which leads to an expansion in the base region (8) of the cap and causes a cracking or breaking of the cap (7, 7', 7") at groove-shaped, predetermined breakage locations (13, 13') of the cap (7, 7', 7") that extend in the direction of the longitudinal axis (12) of the projectile (2).

Claims8

Dependent claims

A subcaliber projectile, comprising a penetrator having a pointed front end, a propelling cage that surrounds a midportion of the penetrator, and a cap which is tapered conically toward the penetrator point and which has a base region arranged on and surrounding a reduced diameter front portion of the propelling cage;

and wherein:
the cap supports itself in its said base region on a conical surface of the propelling cage that is conically tapered in a direction toward the projectile point, such that during acceleration of the projectile inside a weapon tube from which the projectile is fired, the cap is displaced, as a result of the inertial force, in an axial direction toward the propelling cage, thereby causing an expansion of the diameter of the base region of the cap;
at least two groove-shaped predetermined break locations that extend in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the projectile are provided in an outer conical surface of the cap;
the base region of the cap has an outside diameter which is smaller than an outside diameter of the propelling cage and thus is smaller than an inside diameter of a weapon tube from which the projectile is to be fired;
and,
a conical angle of the conical surface of the propelling cage and the outside diameter of the base region of the cap are selected such that the expansion occurring in the base region of cap during acceleration of the projectile inside the weapon tube causes a cracking of the cap along the predetermined break locations.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.