Abstract: To serve a turret-mounted tank cannon, automated loading apparatus includes a pair of arcuate guide tracks vertically mounted to the turret. The guide tracks, lying on radii centered with the cannon elevating axis, guide a trolley for movement between magazine and cannon loading postions. A rammer, carried by the trolley, is activated to retrieve an ammunition round from magazine storage and to ram the round into the cannon breech regardless of cannon position in elevation and azimuth. The trolley is propelled by a ballscrew, while the rammer is activated by a ballscrew and stiff-backed chain arrangement to achieve an extra long rammer stroke. The rammer is pivotally mounted to the trolley for movement between essentially opposite end-for-end orientations to permit round retrieval from ammunition magazines located in the turret bustle and tank hull, as well as in the turret basket.

Abstract: An autoloader, capable of loading regardless of gun elevation, includes arcuate guide tracks mounted to the chute of a weapon pod protecting the breech of an exterior, turret-mounted gun. The guide tracks, of a radius of curvature centered on the gun elevation axis, mounts a trolley for guided movement between a lower magazine position and an upper gun loading position. A compact rammer, pivotally mounted to the trolley, extracts a shell from a magazine affixed to the turret floor while in the trolley magazine position and controls the shell during transfer to the trolley gun loading position. During shell transfer, the rammer is pivoted relative to the trolley to swing the shell out of the chute and into the pod to a ramming position aligning the shell with the gun boreline. The rammer then executes a two-stage ramming stroke to ram the shell into the gun breech. The trolley and rammer are powered by separate electric motors.

Abstract: An arrangement of the components of a revolving battery gun such that the center of gravity of the assembly is located on the axis of the firing barrel at the time of its maximum recoil thrust. The required location of the center of gravity is achieved by the use of a relatively small number of barrels in a Gatling gun having a main cam with a self-intersecting, two-revolution track and a crossover switch mechanism. Such a configuration permits the firing barrel to be placed relatively near to the gun rotor axis and permits the gun feeder, as well as the drive, recoil adapters, and other accessory devices to be placed on the same side of the gun as the firing barrel. In this location, the accessory devices counterbalance the weight of the rotor and barrel cluster, thereby placing the center of gravity of the assembly approximately on the axis of the firing barrel. The recoil thrust then passes through the center of gravity of the recoiling mass, eliminating pitch and yaw moments.

Abstract: An arrangement of the components of a revolving battery gun such that the center of gravity of the assembly is located on the axis of the firing barrel at the time of its maximum recoil thrust. The required location of the center of gravity is achieved by the use of a relatively small number of barrels in a Gatling gun having a two-revolution main cam. Such a configuration permits the firing barrel to be placed relatively near to the gun rotor axis and permits the gun feeder, as well as the drive, recoil adapters, and other accessory devices to be placed on the same side of the gun as the firing barrel. In this location, the accessory devices counterbalance the weight of the rotor and barrel cluster, thereby placing the center of gravity of the assembly approximately on the axis of the firing barrel. The recoil thrust then passes through the center of gravity of the recoiling mass, eliminating pitch and yaw moments.