Abstract: A striker device for striking a firearm cartridge, the cartridge comprising a case provided with a cap and the firearm including a bolt having a front face that is normally intended to be pressed against the cartridge case, a striking pin guided to move in translation in the bolt and including a tip for striking the cap of the cartridge, means for displacing the striking pin between a cocked position in which the striking pin is retracted into the bolt and a firing position in which the tip of the striking pin projects from the front face of the bolt to strike the cap of the cartridge, means for taking up clearance between the front face of the bolt and the cartridge, said means comprising a part having the striking pin passing axially therethrough and itself displaceable in translation relative to the bolt to occupy a firing position in which its front end projects from the front face of the bolt and bears against the cartridge case, the extent to which the tip of the firing pin projects relative to the fron

Abstract: A medium caliber automatic firearm with a high firing rate including a star drum which revolves in indexed fashion and which is in line with and driven by a cylinder star wheel, whose rotation is synchronized with that of the star drum, is mounted to the side of and is parallel to the star drum. A stripper is mounted between the star wheel and the star drum in order to separate cartridges from links at a point where the ammunition belt comes out of the star wheel while allowing the links to be evacuated from the firearm. A mechanism is also included which introduces the cartridges into successive chambers of the cylinder, the cartridges being lined up with the chambers by a star drum as the latter rotates.

Abstract: The invention is directed to an automatic firearm apparatus of the type including a feed system and a rotatable drum driven in rotation by an outer motor, wherein the drum includes a closed contour breech drive ramp. The apparatus includes two follower members cooperating with the ramp, each rigidly mounted on a breech to impart to the breech a reciprocating movement between a feed position, in which it is separate from its respective cartridge chamber, and a firing position, in which it closes the cartridge chamber. The feed system includes a feed mechanism rotating continuously and two distribution mechanisms rotating intermittently. Each of the distribution mechanisms are arranged to receive ammunition from the feed mechanism when stopped and, when rotating thereafter, to supply this ammunition to its respective breech while the latter is in its feed position.

Abstract: A dual ammunition feed for automatic weapons includes a positioning device for the ammunition wherein a central positioning sprocket unit interacts with two feed sprocket units in two separate feed casings to allow for loading with two different types of ammunition. The feed casings are tiltable into and out of engagement with the positioning device, the tilting of a particular feed casing into engagement with the positioning device being followed by the simultaneous disengagement of the other feed casing from the positioning device. The tilting of a particular feed casing into engagement further results in the coupling of the engaged feed casing's feed sprocket unit with a reducing transmission driven by an external motor, and in a change in the rotational direction of the central positioning sprocket unit such that the central positioning sprocket unit always rotates in an opposite direction from that of the feed sprocket unit of the particular feed casing which is engaged.

Abstract: This invention relates to space vehicles. It is concerned with solar absorbers consisting of a metallic or metallized substrate with a weak hemispherical emission factor coated with two layers consisting of a semi-transparent metallic layer adhering to the substrate and of an outer interference dielectric layer. The metallic layer is a layer of nickel/chromium alloy consisting of 60 to 83% by weight of nickel and of 40 to 15% by weight of chromium, and the dielectric layer is a layer of silicon monoxide, of zinc sulphide or silicon dioxide.

Abstract: The average aperture width in a small area of an apertured member, such as a shadow mask for a cathode ray tube, is determined by passing a beam of substantially monochromatic light through an area of the member to form an interference pattern, detecting the intensities of at least two light fringes of the interference pattern, generating electrical signals which are representative of the detected intensities and then deriving the average width of apertures in the lit area of the members from the generated signals.