EP0423197B1 - Light anti-armor weapon - Google Patents

Light anti-armor weapon Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0423197B1
EP0423197B1 EP89908100A EP89908100A EP0423197B1 EP 0423197 B1 EP0423197 B1 EP 0423197B1 EP 89908100 A EP89908100 A EP 89908100A EP 89908100 A EP89908100 A EP 89908100A EP 0423197 B1 EP0423197 B1 EP 0423197B1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
weapon
target
propulsion means
armor
outer casing
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
EP89908100A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP0423197A1 (en
Inventor
Don Schricker
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Hughes Missile Systems Co
Original Assignee
Hughes Missile Systems Co
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Hughes Missile Systems Co filed Critical Hughes Missile Systems Co
Publication of EP0423197A1 publication Critical patent/EP0423197A1/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0423197B1 publication Critical patent/EP0423197B1/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F42—AMMUNITION; BLASTING
    • F42B—EXPLOSIVE CHARGES, e.g. FOR BLASTING, FIREWORKS, AMMUNITION
    • F42B12/00—Projectiles, missiles or mines characterised by the warhead, the intended effect, or the material
    • F42B12/02—Projectiles, missiles or mines characterised by the warhead, the intended effect, or the material characterised by the warhead or the intended effect
    • F42B12/04—Projectiles, missiles or mines characterised by the warhead, the intended effect, or the material characterised by the warhead or the intended effect of armour-piercing type
    • F42B12/06—Projectiles, missiles or mines characterised by the warhead, the intended effect, or the material characterised by the warhead or the intended effect of armour-piercing type with hard or heavy core; Kinetic energy penetrators
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F42—AMMUNITION; BLASTING
    • F42B—EXPLOSIVE CHARGES, e.g. FOR BLASTING, FIREWORKS, AMMUNITION
    • F42B12/00—Projectiles, missiles or mines characterised by the warhead, the intended effect, or the material
    • F42B12/02—Projectiles, missiles or mines characterised by the warhead, the intended effect, or the material characterised by the warhead or the intended effect
    • F42B12/36—Projectiles, missiles or mines characterised by the warhead, the intended effect, or the material characterised by the warhead or the intended effect for dispensing materials; for producing chemical or physical reaction; for signalling ; for transmitting information
    • F42B12/56—Projectiles, missiles or mines characterised by the warhead, the intended effect, or the material characterised by the warhead or the intended effect for dispensing materials; for producing chemical or physical reaction; for signalling ; for transmitting information for dispensing discrete solid bodies
    • F42B12/58—Cluster or cargo ammunition, i.e. projectiles containing one or more submissiles
    • F42B12/62—Cluster or cargo ammunition, i.e. projectiles containing one or more submissiles the submissiles being ejected parallel to the longitudinal axis of the projectile
    • F42B12/625—Cluster or cargo ammunition, i.e. projectiles containing one or more submissiles the submissiles being ejected parallel to the longitudinal axis of the projectile a single submissile arranged in a carrier missile for being launched or accelerated coaxially; Coaxial tandem arrangement of missiles which are active in the target one after the other
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F42—AMMUNITION; BLASTING
    • F42B—EXPLOSIVE CHARGES, e.g. FOR BLASTING, FIREWORKS, AMMUNITION
    • F42B15/00—Self-propelled projectiles or missiles, e.g. rockets; Guided missiles

Definitions

  • the present invention relates generally to light anti-armor weapons for manual firing by the soldier from a shoulder-held launch tube.
  • FR-A-2274016 discloses an anti-armor weapon including a projectile and a carrier where an accelerating thrust is applied to the projectile.
  • Kinetic Energy penetrator Another known weapon in use for tank and artillery cannon shells is the so called “Kinetic Energy” penetrator. This consists of a non-explosive penetrator which is fired at a target at sufficient speed to penetrate and damage or destroy the target. In practice, such weapons must be fired at hypersonic velocities of 3 to 4 km/sec. This makes them completely impractical for a shoulder fired weapon.
  • a light anti-armor weapon which comprises a light anti-armor weapon comprising: an outer casing carrying a non-explosive, armor-penetrating device at its front end and a boost propulsion means for accelerating the outer casing and the penetrating device to a predetermined velocity, and an igniter for firing the boost propulsion means; primary propulsion means for launching the weapon and propelling it towards a target; and, sensor means for detecting when the weapon is a predetermined distance from the target and subsequently actuating the igniter to fire the boost propulsion means characterized in that the weapon further comprises a pair of separable front and rear units releasably secured together in axial alignment; the front unit and the rear unit each include an outer casing, the outer casing of the rear unit being releasably secured at its forward end to the rear end of the outer casing of the front unit; the front unit carries the armor-penetrating device at its front end and the boost propulsion means at its rear end for
  • the weapon will preferably be launched at around 300 m/sec, and will be accelerated to a terminal 3 to 4 km/sec velocity when it is about 1.82m to 2.44m (6 to 8 feet) from the target.
  • the penetrator is suitably a solid rod of heavy metal, such as tungsten or the like or a metal composite following current technological advances of this type, with a pointed forward end.
  • the launch propulsion device or motor preferably separates from the remainder of the weapon on firing of the boost propulsion device.
  • the launch motor may be equivalent to the launch motors used in current shoulder fired weapons having explosive shaped charges, such as the Viper or Viper Variant.
  • the launch tube used may also be similar to existing launchers for shoulder fired weapons, but may be made longer if necessary to accommodate the additional length of the armor penetrator rod.
  • the boost propulsion device is preferably a very rapid burning rocket motor for accelerating the weapon to the desired high, "hypersonic" speed.
  • This weapon therefore allows a foot soldier to fire a non-explosive, kinetic energy penetrator safely and easily, allowing a more effective final defense against armored tanks and the like having armor which will normally defeat shoulder-fired explosive effects weapons. It will be safer to fire than explosive weapons, since it contains no explosive, the rocket motor fuel being the most hazardous substance. Foot soldiers employing a combination of the standard, explosive weapons as well as the non-explosive penetrator weapon of this invention would prove to be substantially more effective against any protected armored vehicle or other target, regardless of the type of armor used.
  • Figure 2 of the drawings shows a light anti-armor weapon 10 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, which is designed to be launched and fly to a target 12 in the manner illustrated in Figure 1.
  • the weapon basically comprises a generally cylindrical outer housing or casing 13 having an aerodynamically shaped forward end 14, with a solid penetrator rod 16 mounted coaxially in the casing to project up to its forward end.
  • Rod 16 has a pointed forward end generally shaped to conform to the casing forward end.
  • the rod is held in place by a suitable support structure 18.
  • the casing is preferably formed in two separable front and rear casing sections 20 and 21, which are releasably secured together in a manner known in the missile field.
  • the front section 20 houses the penetrator at its forward end and a boost motor 22 with boost propellant grain 23 at its rear end, while the rear section comprises a launch motor 24 having a propellant grain 25 and outlet nozzle 26.
  • a battery igniter or proximity fuze 27 is associated with the boost motor 22.
  • a suitable barrier or connecting joint 28 is provided between the front and rear sections. This will prevent early firing of the igniter.
  • a suitable proximity or standoff sensor 30 is mounted at the forward end of the casing to detect approach of the weapon to the target.
  • the sensor is preferably of a commonly known, infra-red sensor type employing reflected infra-red radiation for detecting approach and distance from a target. Such sensors are manufactured by Motorola, for example.
  • the sensor is connected to suitable electronics 32 within the casing, which interprets the sensor output signals in a manner known in the field to produce an output control signal when the weapon is a desired distance from the target 12, as indicated schematically in Figure 3.
  • the output control signal is suitably connected to the boost motor igniter or fuse 27 to ignite the boost motor at the desired distance from the target.
  • FIG 1 illustrates the use of the weapon in defense against armored vehicles such as tanks.
  • the weapon is designed to be launched by a foot soldier 34 from a shoulder held launch tube 36.
  • the launch motor 24 is preferably a rocket motor of the type generally used in such shoulder fired weapons, for example a Viper or Viper Variant motor, which, when fired, will launch the weapon from the launch tube at a safe, subsonic speed of the order of 900 ft/sec or 300 m/sec.
  • the weapon will then fly at the subsonic speed towards the target.
  • a control signal will be produced by the sensor electronics 32 to actuate the boost motor igniter to fire the boost motor 22.
  • the boost motor may be any suitable motor capable of accelerating the weapon up to "hypersonic" speeds of around 3 to 4 Km/sec, and is preferably a high thrust, very rapid burning rocket motor capable of producing this increase in speed in a relatively short distance. These speeds are of the order sufficient for penetrator-type weapons to penetrate and damage or destroy an armored target.
  • the launch motor 24 will be ejected by the ignition of the high thrust boost motor, and the remainder of the weapon will accelerate to fly the remaining distance to the target at the desired high velocity required for the penetrator to function. Since the weapon is not accelerated until it is fairly close to the target, the risk of missing the target is substantially reduced or avoided.
  • the penetrator rod will be of a suitable heavy metal such as tungsten or the like or a composite device. This will result in a weapon carry weight of approximately 4.54kg with an effective range of 500 meters and a maximum range of 750 meters. On arrival at the target, the hypervelocity penetrator rod will pierce the armor of the target, damaging and potentially disabling it.
  • the weapon can be fired from a launch tube equivalent to that used in existing shoulder fired weapon systems, although the tube may be made longer to accommodate the additional length of the penetrator rod 16.
  • This weapon substantially improves the effectiveness of shoulder fired weapons, since it is capable of defeating armor types which are not normally penetrated by the standard, explosive charge based weapons.
  • the weapon relies solely on its kinetic energy to damage the target, and thus does not require any explosive charge.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Aviation & Aerospace Engineering (AREA)
  • Aiming, Guidance, Guns With A Light Source, Armor, Camouflage, And Targets (AREA)
  • Optical Radar Systems And Details Thereof (AREA)
EP89908100A 1988-06-28 1989-06-28 Light anti-armor weapon Expired - Lifetime EP0423197B1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US21245088A 1988-06-28 1988-06-28
PCT/US1989/002823 WO1990000244A1 (en) 1988-06-28 1989-06-28 Light anti-armor weapon
US212450 1994-03-11

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0423197A1 EP0423197A1 (en) 1991-04-24
EP0423197B1 true EP0423197B1 (en) 1994-08-17

Family

ID=22791071

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP89908100A Expired - Lifetime EP0423197B1 (en) 1988-06-28 1989-06-28 Light anti-armor weapon

Country Status (6)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0423197B1 (ja)
JP (1) JPH04500406A (ja)
KR (1) KR0152968B1 (ja)
AT (1) ATE110162T1 (ja)
DE (1) DE68917595T2 (ja)
WO (1) WO1990000244A1 (ja)

Families Citing this family (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5649488A (en) * 1994-06-27 1997-07-22 The United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Navy Non-explosive target directed reentry projectile
DE19700349C2 (de) * 1997-01-08 2002-02-07 Futurtec Ag Geschoß oder Gefechtskopf zur Bekämpfung gepanzerter Ziele
CA2331724C (en) * 1999-03-25 2006-08-08 State Of Israel - Ministry Of Defense Rafael - Armament Development Auth Ority An armor piercing projectile
US6796242B2 (en) * 2003-01-27 2004-09-28 Zhong-Wei Shi Propulsion enhancement arrangement for rocket
US8119956B2 (en) 2008-10-02 2012-02-21 Raytheon Company Multi-stage hyper-velocity kinetic energy missile
ES2585243B1 (es) * 2016-03-09 2017-07-11 Cesar Mencia Almansa Cabeza de guerra para misiles guiados y minas de ataque a distancia

Family Cites Families (10)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR1209802A (fr) * 1948-01-09 1960-03-03 Tech De Rech S Ind & Mecanique Engin offensif à réaction
US3561362A (en) * 1962-05-18 1971-02-09 Us Army Free punch with attached power plant
FR1413030A (fr) * 1963-11-07 1965-10-01 Brevets Aero Mecaniques Perfectionnements apportés aux obus de rupture autopropulsés
BE657225A (ja) * 1964-12-16
US3566793A (en) * 1968-09-27 1971-03-02 George R Kruzell Armor piercing rocket
US3935817A (en) * 1971-07-28 1976-02-03 General Dynamics Corporation Penetrating spear
DE2427680A1 (de) * 1974-06-07 1975-12-18 Dynamit Nobel Ag Bewegliche abschusseinrichtung fuer panzerbrechende wirkkoerper
DE2500089A1 (de) * 1975-01-03 1976-07-08 Fusban Ulrich Lenkflugkoerperwaffensystem zur bekaempfung vorzugsweise stark gepanzerter ziele
DE2948542A1 (de) * 1979-12-03 1984-04-12 Rheinmetall GmbH, 4000 Düsseldorf Geschoss zum bekaempfen mehrlagiger, vorzugsweise aktiver panzerungen
US4441237A (en) * 1980-04-01 1984-04-10 The United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Navy Inhomogenous anisotropic kinetic energy penetrators

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
ATE110162T1 (de) 1994-09-15
KR0152968B1 (ko) 1998-10-15
DE68917595T2 (de) 1994-12-15
EP0423197A1 (en) 1991-04-24
WO1990000244A1 (en) 1990-01-11
DE68917595D1 (de) 1994-09-22
JPH04500406A (ja) 1992-01-23
KR900702322A (ko) 1990-12-06

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