Abstract: The invention concerns devices serving to load ammunition in a cannon consisting of a tube comprising a housing and a rotor in which are arranged several recesses distributed uniformly about its axis and each intended to receive a shell, a door which when closed prevents a shell from exiting the tube, a rammer driven by springs cocked by the recoil of the breech and a lock serving to maintain the springs in the cocked position. To enable the automatic sequence of all the shell loading operations at a single command, the device of the invention comprises motors (16, 18, 20) serving to rotate the tube (10) step by step, to open the door of the tube and to lock it in the closed position, and to release the bolt of the rammer (12), means for controlling these motors in a given sequence at a loading order given by the operator and means for detecting a shell exiting the tube and for detecting the closing of the door.

Abstract: An improved self-propelled vehicle used for transporting ammunition. Ammunition is moved by a motor driven conveyor having elevating means for selectively vertically moving ammunition units stored in the vehicle.

Abstract: An automatic loading arrangement of a gun barrel weapon. An ammunition holder is provided having a portion which is adapted to be pivotally connected to another ammunition holder and so on to form a band magazine, for the purpose of holding thin-walled cartridged ammunition units, preferably tank and armored vehicle ammunition having a combustible casing, which ammunition can be transported and guided to a loading tray or chamber without being damaged by outside influences, for example travel shocks, vibrations, etc.The ammunition holder has a semi-circular arcuately shaped tray adapted to conform with the shape of the cartridged ammunition, which tray has a small inner diameter region to matingly receive the projectile head and a relatively larger inner diameter region adapted to matingly receive the cartridge bottom.

Abstract: The military equipment comprises a turret mounted for rotation about a vertical axis and supporting, by means of a swivelling device with horizontal axis, a main heavy gun totally external to the turret, having its own shield and situated approximately in a plane passing through the axis of rotation of the turret. The swivelling device comprises two lateral supports surrounding the gun and supporting the latter via bearings so as to define an elevation axis situated behind the rotational axis of the turret. One of the supports and the shield of the gun have oppositely situated openings for forming a protected channel for a gun loading system supplying the gun with rounds of ammunition from inside the turret. The feed system constitutes a unitary assembly. It has a frame secured in the gun shield on which a carriage is transversely movable between a position where an ammunition craddle supported by the carriage is aligned with a weapon and a position lateral to the weapon.

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 compact loading tray mechanism for loading an ammunition into a gun barrel weapon, preferably a tank cannon. The loading tray mechanism operates so as to prevent an impacting of the cartridge on the rear edge of the loading chamber of the weapon. A first lower loading tray is pivotally mounted on a first pivot arm at one of its ends which first pivot arm is in turn pivotally mounted on a non-recoiling part of the weapon at the other of its ends. A second upper loading tray is fixedly mounted on a second pivot arm at one of its ends which second pivot arm is in turn pivotally mounted at its other end on a non-recoiling part of the weapon.

Abstract: A weapon having a gun barrel and a gun elevating mechanism and a gun traversing mechanism respectively operatively connected to said gun barrel. A separate fully automatic loading mechanism also is operatively connected to said gun barrel. This gun barrel is to be maintained during the loading process by the gun elevating mechanism into an index position which is continuously attainable in the same short time period.This object is achieved by having the gun elevating and gun traversing mechanisms provided with a common locking arrangement whereby the gun barrel disposed in the gun elevating mechanism is precisely held in an index position during loading. The locking is effected by means of a drive and brake unit which is mounted on the gun traversing mechanism. A claw is rotated by the brake and drive unit and is adapted to selectively clamp a bolt secured to the gun barrel when it is in a position corresponding to the required index position for loading.

Abstract: A device for loading and firing semi-automatic arms, particularly pistols, and comprising a plurality of follower lugs or pins carried in the slide, and a corresponding plurality of inclined grooves carried in the yoke and engaged by the lugs or pins so as to disengage the yoke and the bolt from the barrel when the slide is retracted under the pressure of the gases from a fired cartridge.

Abstract: A large caliber cannon such as a 155 mm Howitzer uses ammunition rounds consisting of a projectile and a propellant charge which are loaded in sequence into the breech of the cannon. The cannon is mounted on a gun carriage and is free to move in elevation on the carriage about an elevation axis. The carriage is controllable in azimuth for gun pointing. Storage drums for holding a plurality of projectiles and charges are mounted on the carriage. Projectile trays and propellant charge trays are positioned to receive the projectiles and their propellant charges from the storage drums. The trays are pivotally mounted on cradle arms so that they may be rotated between a receiving position and a gun loading position. The cradle arms are pivotally mounted on the gun carriage so that they may be moved between the elevation of the receiving position and a position in alignment with the breech when the cannon is being trained.

Abstract: A tank turret has a forward crew compartment separated by an armored partition from a rear munitions compartment. The rounds are stored in a nonrotatable sector and are turned toward a space at the centrum of the sector at which a loading device is rotatable to extract rounds from the magazine and feed them through a hole in the partition into the breach opening.

Abstract: A reversible front bolt for converting a firearm of a first caliber to fire cartridges of a second caliber; or to provide a second front bolt of the same caliber as a spare part. The regular bolt assembly comprises a front bolt, a plurality of rails and a rear bolt, wherein the rails connect, and rigidly position the front bolt with respect to the rear bolt. The front bolt has two firing faces, and to change from one firing face to the other, the rails are disconnected from the front bolt, the front bolt reversed and the rails reconnected to the front bolt.

Abstract: A loading table including a stable frame with a flat depositing plane (13) for shells (14) lying beside each other and feeding means for removing the shells, one at a time, from the plane, through lateral displacement. The feeding means utilize holding trough segments arranged in an endless chain with two stories of which the upper story comes into connection with the depositing plane. The segments are fastened in the links (16) of two drive chains which by means of the step drive mechanism can be actuated so that at a certain actuation of the step drive mechanism, holding troughs (15) for the shells, which can be composed of holding trough segments in the upper story, are moved forwards one spacing distance.

Abstract: This loading device for an average-caliber weapon mounted in a turret comprises a barrel-shaped body rotatably mounted in a fixed casing. In the barrel-shaped body are provided several positions spread out around the axis of rotation and each intended to receive a piece of ammunition. Means are provided for rotating the barrel-shaped body through angular steps equal to the gap between successive positions so as to cause each of the positions to coincide in turn with a removal aperture provided in the casing.

Abstract: A loading tray (3) used for a loading unit (4) which can be swung in from the side from a feeding position for an ammunition unit, (6) to a swung-in position in the extension of the axis of the bore (2) of a firearm (1). The loading tray receives the ammunition unit fed in from the side, and supports the ammunition unit during the swinging-in process, and permits longitudinal displacement out of the loading tray by means of a rammer (8). The loading tray has an elongate element (16) which having received the ammunition unit extends above and along the ammunition unit. The element can spring away to the side temporarily in connection with the rolling of the ammunition unit. The element (16) is comprised in the holding function for the ammunition unit under the swinging-in process, and serves as a rearing guard during ramming of the ammunition unit.

Abstract: A military vehicle comprising a hull that is equipped with a rotary turret nd an external gun thereabove; external power means is provided to elevate the gun bodily and turn the gun in the elevation plane. The gun is equipped with at least one ammunition supply tube that can be periodically replenished from an ammunition storage means in the hull without human assistance (other than actuation of control switches or valves).

Abstract: Mechanism for releasably retaining a projectile in an upright position win a military tank. A solenoid-controlled pawl releasably engages a side surface of the projectile to retain said projectile in position. Energization of the solenoid withdraws the pawl from the projectile surface, thereby enabling the soldier to remove the projectile from the mechanism.

Abstract: A weapon system containing a gun mount upon which there is mounted to be pivotable about an elevation alignment axis an automatic firing weapon or gun containing an ammunition container or magazine. A reloading container having an ammunition outlet opening is arranged at the gun mount. There is provided a conveyor device, by means of which sets of cartridges located in the reloading container can be brought to the outlet opening from which location these cartridges can be refilled into the ammunition container. The reloading container is displaceably arranged at the gun mount and its outlet opening can be brought into alignment with an inlet opening of the ammunition container which has been pivoted into an ammunition loading position. The conveyor device comprises transport elements which can be moved together with the sets of cartridges out of the reloading container into the ammunition container.

Abstract: A tank supporting a large-caliber firearm which can be raised and lowered relative to the tank chassis. A first magazine is hingedly connected to the firearm at its rear end, and a second magazine is hingedly connected to the tank chassis. When the barrel of the firearm is in its zero traverse position and in its lowermost position relative to the tank chassis, the first and second magazines are interconnected and a hoisting apparatus lifts successive rounds of ammunition from the second magazine to the first magazine, and the rounds are then rammed into the barrel of the firearm.

Abstract: The magazine-loading device is designed for loading fin-stabilized projectiles or shells into the barrels of grenade launchers. The magazine-loading device comprises a shell storage enclosure having an inclined elongated base designed for supporting a series of fin-stabilized shells in side-by-side relationship. A shell-receiving unit is located at the lower end of the base and is arranged to receive the lowermost shell of the series which is transferred by displacement means from the shell-receiving unit into the barrel of an adjacent grenade launcher. Releasable retaining means is arranged to retain the shells in position above the shell-receiving unit while a shell is being transferred and to release the shells allowing them to move downwardly with the lowermost shell entering the shell-receiving unit after the shell previously in the shell-receiving unit has been transferred to the grenade launcher barrel.

Abstract: An ammunition magazine with a feeding device in the form of two pivotal arms for a weapon which is laterally adjustable and adjustable as to height. The magazine comprises two sections symmetrically connected to the weapon from which the feeding device grasps ammunition and moves the same to a charging position in which the ammunition is aligned with the bore of the barrel. Each of the two magazine sections has associated therewith one of the two pivotal arms which by power-operable means are so actuated that while either one moves ammunition from one ammunition magazine section into alignment with the barrel, the respective other pivotal arm moves to the respective pertaining magazine section for picking up ammunition.

Abstract: An apparatus for loading an artillery piece, particularly a heavy artillery piece, includes a loading tray connected to the elevating mass of the artillery piece and mounted for selective displacement between a loading position and a ramming position. A loading table is provided for supporting a plurality of shells in side-by-side relation to one another, and an elongated loading trough separate from the table and tray is disposed therebetween. Operator means are provided to cause a shell to roll from the table into the trough so that the weight of the shell causes the trough to pivot into an inclination which corresponds to that of the loading tray, and the trough is then laterally tilted to roll the shell out of said trough and onto the loading tray when the tray is in its loading position, whereafter the loading tray is displaced to its ramming position.