Belt/metallic link chain loaded ammunition feeder in a remote controlled weapon station
Belt/Metallic Link Chain Loaded Ammunition Feeder in a Remote Controlled Weapon Station (RCWS). The feeder includes a feeding mechanism for routing chained ammunition from ammunition reservoir means towards the weapon's bullets entrance opening. The feeding mechanism has a first chute assembly for routing chained ammunition from the ammunition reservoir means towards the region of the RCWS's elevating/lowering axis, and a second chute assembly for continuing routing the chained ammunition from the region of the elevating/lowering axis towards the entry opening of the bullets entrance of the weapon. The chained ammunition traverses over the elevating/lowering axis region by passing from the first chute assembly to the second chute assembly. The first chute assembly remains static and the second chute assembly is dynamic and propelled together with the mounting bracket assembly around the elevating/lowering axis.
1. A Remote Controlled Weapon Station (RCWS) comprising:
a mounting bracket suited to have mounted thereon a weapon that is fed by chained ammunition, wherein said weapon is an automatic cannon with dual feed capability from two chains that are routed in parallel towards a bullets entrance opening;
a rotatable turret assembly wherein said mounting bracket is mounted thereon in a manner that enables elevating/lowering said weapon around an elevating/lowering axis;
said rotatable turret assembly enables rotation (bearing or siding) of said mounting bracket assembly in a bearing (siding) plane parallel to and located at a distance from the elevating/lowering axis and around a rotation (bearing or siding) axis that extends in an vertical direction to said bearing plane;
an ammunition reservoir means for chained ammunition to said weapon that is mounted on said rotatable turret assembly in said bearing (siding) plane and at a distance from said elevating/lowering axis, wherein said ammunition reservoir means is formed as a bi-level arched array of cells that contain chains that can be loaded by different kinds of shells and then stored in different levels; and
a feeding mechanism for routing chained ammunition from said ammunition reservoir means towards the bullets entrance opening of said weapon;
wherein said RCWS is characterized in that said feeding mechanism comprises:
a first chute assembly for routing chained ammunition from said ammunition reservoir means towards the region of said elevating/lowering axis, wherein said first chute assembly is mounted on said rotatable turret assembly; and
a second chute assembly for continuing routing said chained ammunition from the region of said elevating/lowering axis towards an entry opening of the bullets entrance of the weapon, wherein the second chute is mounted on said mounting bracket, wherein each of said first and second chutes comprises a bi-level array of rigid chutes that can route in parallel chains that can be loaded with different shells and routed separately in the different levels; and wherein—
the chained ammunition traversing over said elevating/lowering axis region while passing from the first chute assembly to the second chute assembly happens when said ammunition is directed in an orientation adapting to the movement of said elevating/lowering axis; and
at the time that said mounting bracket assembly is propelled to elevating/lowering motion around said elevating/lowering axis, the first chute assembly remains static and the second chute assembly is dynamic and propelled together with said mounting bracket assembly around said elevating/lowering axis.
2. A feeding mechanism that is mountable in a Remote Controlled Weapon Station (RCWS) for routing chained ammunition from reservoir means for chained ammunition that is mountable on a rotatable turret assembly of an RCWS towards a bullets entrance opening of a weapon that is mountable on a mounting bracket of the RCWS, wherein the feeding mechanism comprises:
a first chute assembly for routing the chained ammunition from the ammunition reservoir means towards the region of the mounting bracket elevating/lowering axis, wherein said first chute assembly is mountable on said rotatable turret assembly, wherein said weapon is an automatic cannon with dual feed capability from two chains that are routed in parallel towards the bullets entrance opening, and wherein said reservoir means is formed as a bi-level arched array of cells that contain chains that can be loaded by different kinds of shells and then stored in different levels; and
a second chute assembly for continuing routing the chained ammunition from the elevating/lowering axis region towards the bullets entrance opening of the weapon, wherein said second chute assembly is mountable on said mounting bracket, wherein each of said first and second chutes comprises a bi-level array of rigid chutes that can route in parallel chains that can be loaded with different shells and routed separately in the different levels; and
wherein upon implementing the feeding mechanism in an RCWS—
the chained ammunition traversing over said elevating/lowering axis region while passing from said first chute assembly to said second chute assembly happens when said ammunition is directed in an orientation adapting to the movement of said elevating/lowering axis; and
at the time that said mounting bracket assembly will be propelled to elevating/lowering motion around said elevating/lowering axis, said first chute assembly will remain static and said second chute assembly will be dynamic and move together with said mounting bracket assembly around said elevating/lowering axis.