Abstract: The invention relates to a lifting device in an armoured vehicle. The lifting device comprises a holder, which can be engaged with a body to be raised, particularly a shell. A driven lifting element is also provided, by means of which the holder can be raised and lowered. In order to be able to take up and transfer in simple, flexible manner the shells, the lifting element is a cable drivable by means of a winch, which is guided on a pivotable, multicomponent articulated arm and carries the holder at its lower end. Preferably the cable passes through the articulated arm and its free end extends substantially vertically downwards, the articulated arm being pivotable substantially in a horizontal plane.

Abstract: A turret for a preferably armored wheel-mounted or tracked vehicle is provided with a weapon and a magazine from which the weapon can be supplied with ammunition in belt form. The magazine is positioned in the turret laterally alongside the weapon and level therewith. The ammunition is received in the magazine in a substantially vertical orientation and on supply to the weapon is brought into alignment therewith. In order to be able to supply in a simple and reliable manner the ammunition to the weapon, the belted ammunition is wound up spirally in the magazine, the ammunition belt running freely from the magazine to the weapon without any guidance means and is twisted or turned. Preferably, on either side of the weapon, is located a corresponding magazine, which is downwardly inclined in the ammunition belt outlet direction.

Abstract: An apparatus for loading tubular weapons with a propellant charge chamber comprises a loading arm pivotably mounted on the pivot bearing of the barrel and having a loading tray for a shell and a rammer engaging on the shell bottom and having a drive, the shell being brought by means of the loading arm into a starting position aligned with the barrel bore axis and transported by means of the rammer into the barrel, into whose rifling it is rammed.

Abstract: An apparatus for loading shells in tubular weapons, particularly tank howitzers, comprises a linearly guided rammer engaging on the bottom of the shell, a pretensioned spring means driving said rammer and a release mechanism acting on the rammer and absorbing the spring tension in the locked position. In order to reliably absorb high ramming forces in a clearance-free manner and so as to suddenly release the same with a limited force requirement, the release mechanism has a fixedly mounted gripper, which cooperates by a planar effective surface with a planar opposite surface on the rammer. The effective surface and the opposite surface are in each case one face of a freely rotatably mounted polyhedron and, in the locked position, are at an angle less than 90.degree. to the force vector of the spring means. For releasing the rammer, the gripper can be pivoted by a release drive acting at right angles to the force vector.

Abstract: An installation for the mechanized loading of an armored weapon with large caliber cartridges consists of a conveyor device leading from the bottom of the loading area into the turret in the rear of the breech of the weapon with a conveyor container for holding the cartridge and a continuous belt driven by a motor, a guide device which has roller sets arranged in the area of each end of the transport container and two guide tracks, each assigned to one roller set, which lead the transport container with the inserted cartridge from an approximately vertical position on the bottom of the loading area to a horizontal position, level with the weapon, in front of the breech, and a rammer, accelerating the cartridge with open weapon breech into the weapon chamber.

Abstract: An armoured car or vehicle with front wheel drive has a vehicle hull and a turret with gun, as well as a front revolving magazine located on the bottom of the turret platform in the vicinity of the gun for large caliber ammunition inserted in upright form. In order to be able to carry maximum ammunition stocks within the vehicle and ensure a mechanized, automatic ammunition flow, on the bottom of the vehicle hull behind the front revolving magazine is provided a rear revolving magazine largely filling the rear vehicle space and receiving the ammunition in standing form and between the two revolving magazines is provided a transfer mechanism occupying an empty position on the front revolving magazine from the rear revolving magazine.

Abstract: In an armoured vehicle with a turret, a weapon mounted therein and a magazine housed in the armoured vehicle and receiving large calibre ammunition in the upright position in a concentric arrangement with respect to the turret rotation axis is arranged a loader, which has a loading arm gripping the ammunition on the magazine and raising it into an aligned position with the weapon bore axis, i.e. the loading position. The loader is arranged on a ring mount positioned roughly below the weapon breech block on the turret platform and whose rotation axis coincides with that of the turret and has a multilever guide supported on the ring mount and movable in a vertical plane, which raises the loading arm with the upright ammunition in a steep movement path and only towards the end of the movement path swings into the loading position.

Abstract: In an apparatus for loading guns, particularly tank howitzers, from a rotary magazine containing the shells and positioned below and alongside the gun barrel, for simplifying construction and movement sequences a substantially vertical loading arm pivotable about a vertical axis between a reception position in the vicinity of the rotary magazine and a position below and upstream of the gun barrel is provided, the loading arm having at least one gripper for a shell and in the last-mentioned position is pivotable about an approximately horizontal axis at right angles to the core axis of the gun barrel into a loading position from which the shell aligned with the core axis can be transported by a rammer into the gun chamber.

Abstract: An assembly for feeding projectile ammunition in an armored vehicle equipped with a rotating turret and weapon carrier utilizes a mother container disposed within the vehicle below the feed port to the weapon carrier. The mother container is movable inwardly and outwardly of the vehicle through a feed door and includes a multiplicity of ammunition containers therewithin. The conveyor system for moving the ammunition containers is disposed within the mother container and is extensible therefrom through the port to move ammunition containers between the mother container and the weapon carrier. The mother container makes it possible to load at one time a number of filled reserve containers, together with their conveyor, after the mother container in use, possibly containing individual containers exhausted by firing, has been removed from the armored vehicle.

Abstract: A device for automatically loading a large-caliber cartridge into the gun bore of a gun carried by a tank turret, comprises a revolving magazine mounted for rotation about the rotational axis of the turret, and independently of the rotation of the turret. The revolving magazine includes two vertical levels of magazine compartments lying radially in the magazine with cartridges facing toward the rotational axis. The revolving magazine includes an elevator which can lift a cartridge from the uppermost level of magazine compartments into a breach opening area of the gun barrel whereat the cartridge can be rammed into the gun barrel bore. In a forward trough area of the tank carrying the tank turret, a second magazine is provided having a plurality of chutes each with at least three cartridges stacked one on top of the other.

Abstract: On a device for feeding shell ammunition within an armored vehicle (1) featuring a rotatable turret (3) with a shield (4) rising on it as a bearing for a weapon carrier (8) which carries sideways its shell magazine fashioned as a container (11, 11') there is provided, inside a vehicle (1), a horizontally extending container switching chute (12) within which there are located two container reloading stations (13, 13') which are so arranged, below openings (14, 14') in the ceiling armor (5), that they will be in alignment with two container shoes (15, 15') fitted to both sides of the weapon support (8), in an angular position of the turret (3) coinciding with an index position and at an elevation angle coinciding with an index position. The space between container reloading station and container shoe is being bridged by transport facilities (16). Two containers (11, 11') can be arranged on the two sides of the weapon support (8) in a detachably lockable and ejectable manner.

Abstract: A loading ramp for cartridges to be supplied from a magazine to a gun of an armored vehicle turret comprises a ramp tube which defines a path of travel for the cartridge from the magazine to the gun. A rocker is pivotally mounted to the bottom of the ramp tube at an end of the tube near the gun. The rocker has a first rocker lever which is near the gun and a second rocker lever which is spaced away from the gun. The second rocker lever carries a stopping cam which can be engaged by the flange of a cartridge to pivot the rocker so that the first rocker lever rises. The first rocker lever is in a correct position for raising the forward end of the cartridge to center it with the gun barrel axis. The rocker is also spring loaded so that the stopping cam is biased into the ramp tube awaiting the passage of a cartridge flange.

Abstract: A turret assembly for an armored vehicle has an opening in its top wall and a weapon chamber member therein below that opening. Pivotably mounted in the weapon chamber is a weapon carrier, and both the weapon carrier and the weapon chamber member are open at the top portions thereof aligned with the opening in the top wall of the turret to permit mounting and dismounting of the weapon from the exterior of the turret. A cover is pivotably secured to the carrier at the port end thereof and substantially closes the opening in the turret in combination with the carrier in its various pivoted positions. The cover is comprised of at least two articulated elements which move with the carrier in its pivoting and which are slidable relative to the turret top wall.

Abstract: The armored vehicle comprises on or in its armored body, a revolving turret and a shieldplate mounted thereon as a bearing for a gun carrier which carries a cartridge magazine designed as a container located laterally (to the left and/or right) or at the top or bottom or behind the gun carrier. The armored body has a closable opening therein, and a horizontal container slideway with a container reloading station is located within the armored body. At an indexed rotational position of the turret and simultaneously at a vertical indexed angular position of the gun carrier an empty container can be guided with the aid of a conveyor downward through the opening into the container reloading station and can be removed then by a loaded container moving up. The loaded container can then be brought by the conveyor upward into the locking position at the gun carrier.