Patents Assigned to Merrill Aviation, Inc.
  • Patent number: 10371479
    Abstract: A weapon station includes a low profile adapter and rotating platform. The low profile adapter is mountable on numerous vehicles or structures, including armored combat vehicles, and mounted concentrically with an operator ingress and egress. The low profile adapter may be mountable on optical sights, such as periscopes. The rotating platform is mounted on the low profile adapter and concentric with the operator ingress and egress and is rotatable about an azimuth axis. The weapon station includes a weapon that can be fired in stabilized, power, and manual modes. The weapon can be fired from within the vehicle in stabilized and power modes, and an operator can fire the weapon manually without leaving the protection of the operator ingress and egress. The weapon station does not obstruct a line-of-sight through optical sights and affords an operator enhanced protection during combat engagements due to its ingress/egress-centric configuration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2019
    Assignee: Merrill Aviation, Inc.
    Inventors: James C. Hobson, Robert J. Huszti
  • Patent number: 9644916
    Abstract: A modular weapon station includes a rotatable frame adapted to be mounted on a platform and is configured to have a removable cradle with a weapon mounted thereon. The rotatable frame may also include a removable ammunition feed chute, an optical sighting unit, and azimuth and elevation drives. The modular weapon station may also include a rotatable drum and ammunition loading assembly coupled with the rotatable frame assembly. The rotatable drum and ammunition loading assembly may be located in an under armor position such that an operator may replenish ammunition from an under armor position and not be subjected to hostile fire while replenishing ammunition. Belted ammunition rounds may travel along an ammunition feed path stemming from the loading assembly within the rotatable drum to a selected weapon.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2017
    Assignee: Merrill Aviation, Inc.
    Inventor: James C. Hobson
  • Publication number: 20160258704
    Abstract: A modular weapon station includes a rotatable frame adapted to be mounted on a platform and is configured to have a removable cradle with a weapon mounted thereon. The rotatable frame may also include a removable ammunition feed chute, an optical sighting unit, and azimuth and elevation drives. The modular weapon station may also include a rotatable drum and ammunition loading assembly coupled with the rotatable frame assembly. The rotatable drum and ammunition loading assembly may be located in an under armor position such that an operator may replenish ammunition from an under armor position and not be subjected to hostile fire while replenishing ammunition. Belted ammunition rounds may travel along an ammunition feed path stemming from the loading assembly within the rotatable drum to a selected weapon.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 16, 2015
    Publication date: September 8, 2016
    Applicant: Merrill Aviation, Inc.
    Inventor: James C. Hobson
  • Publication number: 20150267989
    Abstract: A weapon station includes a low profile adapter and rotating platform. The low profile adapter is mountable on numerous vehicles or structures, including armored combat vehicles, and mounted concentrically with an operator ingress and egress. The low profile adapter may be mountable on optical sights, such as periscopes. The rotating platform is mounted on the low profile adapter and concentric with the operator ingress and egress and is rotatable about an azimuth axis. The weapon station includes a weapon that can be fired in stabilized, power, and manual modes. The weapon can be fired from within the vehicle in stabilized and power modes, and an operator can fire the weapon manually without leaving the protection of the operator ingress and egress. The weapon station does not obstruct a line-of-sight through optical sights and affords an operator enhanced protection during combat engagements due to its ingress/egress-centric configuration.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 11, 2014
    Publication date: September 24, 2015
    Applicant: Merrill Aviation, Inc.
    Inventors: James C. Hobson, Robert J. Huszti
  • Patent number: D725548
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: Merrill Aviation, Inc.
    Inventors: David P. Herald, Eric A. Watz, James D. Peters