EP0677717A1 - Projectile remotely controlled by means of a laser guiding beam - Google Patents

Abstract

The artillery shell (11), with remote control through a laser guide beam, has the outer dimensions of the barrel calibre to be fired with a greatly reduced propellant (46). On leaving the barrel, a secondary propellant drive (23) is activated within the shell structure (18) coaxially before or after the warhead (22) according to the nature of the projectile. A solid fuel motor with jets (25) is behind a deflector (24) for the reaction gases (50), in the flight direction which are aligned at an acute angle to the shell axis (26), located at intervals round the circumference of the shell body (18). <IMAGE>

Description

The invention relates to a projectile according to the preamble of claim 1.

With regard to such a projectile, it is stated in DE-OS 4 137 843 that it can be remotely controlled via the lookout group in the command post of a main battle tank, in that a modulated laser beam serving as a guiding beam is additionally faded into the beam path of the laser rangefinder, which is already present .

The present invention is based on the object of specifying ammunition which is optimally adapted to the possibilities of a command post thus retrofitted for a variable deployment scenario.

This object is essentially achieved in that the generic projectile is designed according to the characterizing part of the main claim.

According to this solution, it is a projectile in the form of a laser-guided-missile-controlled rocket that can be deployed from the main weapon barrel like a conventional barrel grenade, but then not in a ballistic manner, but rather by means of a marching engine over a significantly larger distance, and also via this guide beam Ignition information is transmitted if no impact or time ignition of the warhead is provided.

The full-caliber warhead and the one as a march engine serving full-caliber rocket engine are axially offset between the tail and the ogive of the projectile. A splinter-shell warhead is located in front of the march engine, while a warhead with a beam-forming hollow charge insert is arranged behind the march engine (which may then be coaxial with a jet channel); in the latter case, in front of the march engine, a pre-charge with jet- or projectile-forming insert can be provided for clearing reactive armor in the area of action of the immediately following shaped charge jet. A telescopic sensor that can be extended from the ogive as a forward contact provides sufficient standoff for the pre-charging and for the optimal formation of the shaped charge beam without extending the projectile.

Since the propellant charge is not designed for ballistic bridging of the target range, a very small propellant charge volume is sufficient to push the projectile out of the barrel, for example the main weapon of a main battle tank. In the absence of the high launch accelerations that otherwise occur with a barrel weapon, the constructive design of the present projectile is simplified. After the tube emerges, the cruise engine is fired to keep the projectile at mission speed until it continues to fly ballistically after the rocket motor has burned out. In addition, folded-in canard oars and snorkels for their dynamic pressure motor are first swung out of the projectile shell.

At the same time, a protective cap is thrown off behind the projectile rear part, so that the slightly inclined stabilizing wings, which are initially wrapped around the projectile shell, can unfold and the laser sensor is released for receiving position information from the guide beam steering field. The laser guide beam remote control is not significantly hindered by the exhaust gases from the rocket engine, especially if it is e.g. B. a solid-fuel forehead torch with laterally inclined nozzles in the middle to front of the projectile (depending on the position of the warhead with respect to the march engine) acts.

For the launch from the gun barrel, the projectile can plunge deep into the propellant cartridge, since the annular space outside the projectile and behind its base is sufficient for the small amount of propellant charge required for the comparatively slow start. In order to quickly clear the pipe of smoke gases after firing, an inert gas cartridge for blowing out is expediently also integrated in the propellant charge.

The initialization of the power supply and the orientation sensor system for the control device of the projectile takes place after loading into the weapon barrel with actuation of the fire head, immediately before the propellant charge is ignited, via a contact in the rear part floor through the protective hood.

In the case of a two-part ammunition, which is to be fired with a separate propellant charge, the axial space behind the rear part of the projectile, which is not required for the cartridge, is bridged by a contact plunger, which is used to initiate the electrical initialization of the power supply and the orientation sensors from the bottom of the cartridge.

This creates ammunition that can be used in very different tactical scenarios depending on the design and location, i.e. by simply replacing the warhead with respect to the marching engine. The various representatives of this family of ammunition are completely stowable and manageable, just like the imported barrel weapon ammunition - with the further advantage that the projectiles of the family of ammunition according to the invention experience a lower mechanical launch load despite the considerably increased range, and the laser remote control for web guidance and, if necessary, for triggering an ignition can be used much more precisely. The semi-autonomous target control does not require an expensive search head in the projectile. When this approaches the target with a trajectory that is excessive compared to the line of sight, so that the guide beam is focused on the closer target environment Only in the last approximation phase is the probability of detection correspondingly low and the target selection can still be corrected in the late approximation stage. Therefore, with the projectiles according to the invention, it is technically unproblematic to achieve an economic increase in combat value of large-caliber barrel weapons.

Fig. 1

in mittig abgebrochener Längsschnittdarstellung das tief in die Patrone eintauchende Projektil in Stau- und Startkonfiguration,

Fig. 2

ein Projektil entsprechend der Darstellung in Fig. 1, aber mit abgewandeltem Gefechtskopf und in Marschkonfiguration, sowie

Fig. 3

in ebenfalls mittig abgebrochener Längsschnittdarstellung eine getrennte Ausstoßladung für ein Projektil nach Fig. 1 (ohne integrierte Patrone) oder nach Fig. 2.

Additional alternatives and further developments as well as further features and advantages of the invention result from the further claims and, also taking into account the explanations in the summary, from the following description of the preferred implementation examples, which are highly abstracted and not fully drawn to scale, limited to the essentials solution according to the invention. The drawing shows:

Fig. 1

the projectile immersed deeply in the cartridge in the stowage and start configuration,

Fig. 2

a projectile as shown in Fig. 1, but with a modified warhead and in marching configuration, and

Fig. 3

in a longitudinal sectional view, likewise broken off in the middle, a separate ejection charge for a projectile according to FIG. 1 (without integrated cartridge) or according to FIG. 2.

The remotely steerable projectile 11 has the caliber of tubular ammunition and can therefore, like this, be carried without change requirements, for example in a main battle tank, and in the same way can be loaded into its main armament, i.e. can be moved out of its tube, as far as the diameter and length of the projectile 11 are concerned.

Behind an ignition device 12 in the ogive 13 which reacts to target approach or impact or to a remote control ignition command is a control device 14 for at least two diametrically opposite and preferably rigidly coupled canard rudders 15 are arranged, which draw their actuating energy from a pneumatic dynamic pressure motor 17 fed via snorkel 16. As can be seen from the comparison of FIG. 1 with FIG. 2, the rudder 15 and snorkel 16 are folded behind the outer contour of the projectile 11 in the storage and firing position, but are unfolded in the cruise flight, so that they are then exposed to the inflow along the projectile. Cover 18 are applied. The electrical power supply 19 for the control device 14 and its orientation sensor system 20 (with a g sensor for determining the position of the outlet in the pipe and a rollage sensor that adjusts itself thereon) and for the electrical triggering can be behind the ignition device 12, but also in whole or in part in the Rear part 21 of the projectile 11 may be arranged.

Axially offset from one another and practically filling the entire caliber within the projectile shell 18, a warhead 22 and a marching engine 23 are arranged between the control device 14 together with the dynamic pressure motor 17 in the ogive 13 on the one hand and on the other hand the rear part 21. The marching engine 23 is designed as a solid-fuel front burner, the combustion chamber of which opens into a number of nozzles 25 in the flight direction via a deflection device 24, which are offset circumferentially along the casing 18 and are inclined at an acute angle with respect to the longitudinal axis 26 of the projectile in the direction of the rear part 21 open through the shell 18.

If the projectile is to be used against targets that are not armored or against semi-hard armor (such as supply vehicles or helicopters), then it is equipped with a warhead 22, the explosive charge 27 of which is arranged in front of the marching engine 23 and is surrounded by a fragmentation shell 28, which is preferably preformed Splinter body contains, namely as shown in the steel casing 28 and laterally radially outgoing cubes 29 as well as axially acting balls 31 in the convex-spherical warhead forehead 30 and possibly also an insert of axially outgoing balls 31 behind them. The explosive charge 27 can with the safety device 32 in focus via a detonator 33 from the ignition device 12 can be initiated depending on the mission (via a timer, a service igniter, a self-dismantling command or remotely controlled). For use against hard-armored targets, the projectile 11, which is otherwise of the same design, is equipped in its warhead 22 with a beam-forming pointed cone insert 34 in front of an inert detonation wave deflector 35 and in this case the warhead 22 behind the marching engine 23, that is to say between it and the rear part 21 arranged. However, for a possible undisturbed formation of a shaped charge jet (so-called spike) from the insert 34 formed with the ignition of the explosive charge 27, the marching engine 23 can now be traversed by a central channel 36. This can be left out in the propellant charge of the march engine 23; It is more expedient, however, to build up and arrange the solid so that a central channel 36 initially burns free, the volume of which thus contributes to the drive power. To increase the effect, the free path length of the jet from the explosive charge 27 to the target impact point can be extended by a telescopic sensor 37 which can be pushed out of the ignition device 12 by means of spring force or by means of the dynamic pressure motor 17 during the flight and thus through the flattened front of the ogive 13 and at Target impact triggers the ignition device 12.

For effective use against reactive armored targets, the ignition device 12 or the sensor 37 shortly before the main explosive charge 27 of the warhead 22 first initiates a precharge 38 with a jet- or projectile-forming insert for local clearing of reactive protection, immediately before the beam of the Warhead 22 acts against the main armor. In the case of a larger-caliber projectile design, that precharge 38 can also be located eccentrically between the control device 14 and the front opening of the channel 36 in order to influence the beam passage as little as possible; for projectiles 11 to be brought from normal-caliber pipes (105 mm), the precharge 38 is arranged coaxially in front of the marching engine 23 with its central channel 36 in the interest of sufficient caliber, as can be seen from FIG. 2.

When the warhead 22 is moved backwards according to FIG. 2, that is to say behind the marching engine 23, the securing device 32 projects with the detonator 33 into the rear part 21. Otherwise, this is equipped with a laser receiver 39 in front of a laser sensor 40 behind a central floor opening 41, via which remote control information is transmitted from the control center of the gun to the control device 14 for precise target control by means of a laser guide beam.

The rear part 21 is also equipped with a plurality of stabilizing flights 42 which are articulated peripherally offset relative to one another, which in the storage and firing positions are nestled against the outer wall of the casing 18 in the region of the rear part 21 and, after leaving the firing tube, are spring-loaded from their folded position (FIG. 1). swing out into its operative position (Fig. 2). These wings 42 are slightly inclined with respect to the longitudinal axis 26 of the projectile and thereby impart a small rotation to the projectile 11 during the flight around the longitudinal axis 26. This is too small to have a spin stabilizing effect - the rotation only serves to compensate for departure and aerodynamic disturbances during the mission; and in particular the rotation makes it possible to carry out the control both in the pitch and in the yaw direction with a single pair of diametrically opposite rudders 15 (offset in time depending on the rotation).

To secure the wings 42 still attached to the periphery and to protect the laser sensor 40, the rear part 21 is surrounded by a pot-shaped hood 43 which is thrown backwards when the projectile 11 is started when it leaves the tube. An insulated metallic ring 44 inserted into the hood base serves as a contact for the electrical excitation of the control device 14 immediately before the ejection charge is ignited (see below) in order to activate the thermal batteries of the power supply 19 and the position gyro according to the solder detector in FIG Orientation sensors 20 to initialize.

In order to maintain the overall dimensions of the inserted tubular ammunition, the projectile 11 dips very deep into its propellant charge cartridge 45 at the rear. Since the bridging of the distance to the target in the projectile 11 does not have to be guaranteed by the start acceleration, but is largely the responsibility of the marching engine 23, only a small amount of propellant charge 46 in the cartridge 45 is required in comparison to ballistic-fired ammunition that the projectile 11 is itself just detach from the cartridge casing and can reliably leave the tube, with which the wings 42 turn out, the hood 43 is thrown off and the marching engine 23 is ignited. This small amount of propellant charge 46 can easily be in the hollow cylindrical space between the cartridge sleeve 47 and the projectile sleeve 18 projecting into the cartridge 45, including an axially flat ring area between the bottom 48 of the cartridge 45 and the bottom 51 of the projectile. Rear part 21, are housed. The cartridge charge 46 is ignited in the usual way by means of a central firing pin behind the sleeve base 48. As mentioned above, the electrical initialization (of the power supply 19 and orientation sensor system 20) is carried out via a conductive bridge to the contact ring 44 before the firing pin takes effect.

In addition, at least one inert gas cartridge 49 can be arranged in the propellant charge space of the cartridge 45, which is activated by the ignited propellant charge 46 and releases a larger volume of carbon dioxide, for example, in order to release the propellant charge reaction gases as soon as possible after leaving the projectile 11 To drive out the muzzle and to be able to quickly release the gun for reloading, despite the low suction effect at a low muzzle velocity.

The projectile 11, which is propelled from the tube by the propellant charge 46, compared to a ballistic projectile, has a low initial acceleration and a low muzzle velocity, then starts its marching engine 23, the reaction gases 50 of which are directed laterally (obliquely backwards) from the projectile 11 by the relatively far in front of the rear part 21 and obliquely oriented nozzles 25, so that these exhaust gases 50 the laser beam connection from the command post to the laser sensor 40 in Do not interfere critically with the bottom of the rear part 21. Thus, the rocket-driven projectile can control itself in the laser guide beam, as explained in more detail in DE-OS 41 37 843 already mentioned above; with remote-controlled triggering possibility of the ignition device 12 in accordance with today's parallel application "remote control device for igniting the warhead of a projectile" (which is referred to in full in order to avoid repetitions here), if the detonation of the warhead 12 does not have impact or time criteria (for example Self-destruction if the target is not met) is triggered.

In the case of larger-caliber barrel weapons, an integrated unit of projectile (warhead) and propellant charge cartridge is no longer provided for storage and handling reasons, but a separate propellant charge 46. Because of the low acceleration required to push the projectile 11 out of the barrel and then ignite the marching engine 23 can, as already explained in the present case, only a relatively small volume of propellant charge 46 is required, according to FIG. 3, the separate cartridge 45 has only a small axial length. Your sleeve 47 is now partially made of combustible material. For the initialization contact to the ring 44 in the projectile base 51 before firing, that is, through the protective hood 43, a contact plunger 52 is provided which telescopically engages in the separate cartridge 45 and by means of a coil spring 53, the length difference to one bridging normal barrel weapon cartridge, is pressed against the contact ring 44. This short cartridge 45 is again equipped with an inert gas cartridge 49 for blowing out the tube, now through a support star 54 (for centering the contact plunger 52).

Claims (9)

Projectile (11) remotely controllable by means of a laser guide beam,
characterized by
that it can be fired at the same external dimensions as imported large-caliber tubular ammunition with a greatly reduced volume of propellant charge (46) and is equipped with a marching engine (23) which starts after leaving the tube and which, depending on the action mechanism of the warhead (22), is coaxial in front of or behind it arranged in the projectile casing (18) and, in the direction of flight, is equipped with nozzles (25) behind a deflection device (24) for the reaction gases (50) of a solid fuel end burner, which is inclined at an acute angle to the longitudinal axis of the projectile (26), open peripherally offset from each other through the projectile shell (18). Projectile according to claim 1,
characterized by
that it is equipped with fixed stabilizing wings (42), with at least one pair of Canard rudders (15) and with snorkeling (16) for feeding a dynamic pressure motor (17) for actuating the rudder (15), which after leaving the Pipe mouth can be swung out of the caliber periphery of the projectile (11). Projectile according to claim 1,
characterized by
that its rear part (21) is encompassed at the rear by a pot-shaped protective hood (43), the wall of which overlaps the stabilizing wings (42) nestled along the projectile shell (18) and the bottom of which has a laser sensor (40) in the bottom of the rear part (51) covers but forms an electrically conductive connection to a contact ring (44) in the rear part bottom (51). Projectile according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized by
that it is equipped with a warhead (22) lying in the direction of flight behind the marching engine (23) in its explosive charge (27) with a jet-forming pointed cone insert (34) for action by a jet extending concentrically through the combustion chamber of the marching engine (23) Channel (36) is provided, in front of which - concentrically or laterally offset - a precharge (38) with a jet- or projectile-forming insert is arranged, which can be ignited shortly before the explosive charge (27) of the main warhead (23). Projectile according to claim 4,
characterized by
that an ignition device (12) is equipped with a telescopic sensor (37) extending coaxially from the projectile ogive (13) as a forward contact for triggering the ignition. Projectile according to claim 4 or 5,
characterized by
that the central jet channel (36) burns free after the ignition of the marching engine (23). Projectile according to one of claims 1 to 3,
characterized by
that a combined detonation and splinter warhead (22) arranged in the flight direction coaxially in front of the marching engine (23) and in its shell (28) with radially outgoing prefabricated fragments in the form of cubes (29) and with axially outgoing prefabricated fragments in the form of Balls (31) and behind its forehead (30) is equipped with a further pack of balls (31), the ignition device (12) being remotely initiated via a laser steering beam. Projectile according to one of the preceding claims,
characterized by
that it dips deep into the sleeve (47) of a propellant charge cartridge (45) and is surrounded peripherally and at the rear by a propellant charge (46) in which at least one inert gas cartridge (49) for blowing out the pipe after the comparatively slow Pipe outlet of the projectile (11) is arranged. Projectile according to one of claims 1 to 7,
characterized by
that in a separately charged propellant cartridge (45) with a partially combustible sleeve (47) and inert gas cartridge (49) embedded in the propellant charge (46), the free distance to the projectile bottom (51) from an axially spring-loaded telescopically extending contact plunger (52) can be bridged, which is temporarily electrically connected via a protective hood (43) on the projectile rear part (21) to an initialization contact ring (44) in the projectile bottom (51) before the propellant charge (46) can be ignited is.

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