Armored vehicle with a laterally alignable mortar

Claim 2

An armored vehicle comprising a laterally alignable mortar operated by a firing crewman, the armored vehicle incorporating a turret for housing the firing crewman, said mortar incorporating a number of launching barrels which are rigidly connected with the laterally alignable turret of the armored vehicle, the launching barrels having muzzles which are located at the wall of the turret, an annular compartment concentrically arranged with respect to the axis of rotation of the turret arranged about the turret, an armored vehicle hood member for protecting the annular compartment, an infeed mechanism for the shells and magazines arranged in the annular compartment, said magazines being movable relative to the turret by means of said infeed mechanism into a position in alignment with the mortar, the turret possessing a substantially truncated conical configuration, and wherein the launching barrels are directed perpendicular to the wall of the turret, said infeed mechanism comprising to support for the shells, and said shells being arranged at the support perpendicular to the wall of the turret with their shell tips pointing towards the outside.

Claim 3

The armored vehicle as defined in claim 1, further including means for infinitely varying the propellant charge chamber at the launching barrels for the purpose of altering the firing range of the shells.

Claim 4

The armored vehicle as defined in claim 1, said infeed mechanism further including a roller bearing arrangement for pivoting the support about the turret, sleeve means for receiving the shells arranged at the support, said sleeve means in cross-section having a honeycomb configuration, said sleeve means insuring for firing of the shells in a position which is in alignment with the launching barrels.

Claim 5

The armored vehicle as defined in claim 1, wherein said armored vehicle hood member is provided with an opening at the region of the muzzles of the launching barrels, and a cover for closing said opening.

Claim 6

The armored vehicle as defined in claim 2, wherein said means for varying the propellant charge chamber comprises a sleeve member displaceable within each launching barrel and serving as a stop for the shells.

Claim 7

The armored vehicle as defined in claim 5, wherein the sleeve member is equipped with external teeth, and further including helical gears and a shaft, said sleeve member being in driving connection with the shaft via the external teeth and the helical gears.

Claim 8

An armored vehicle comprising a laterally alignable mortar operated by a firing crewman, the armored vehicle incorporating a turret for housing the firing crewman, said mortar incorporating a number of launching barrels which are rigidly connected with the laterally alignable turret of the armored vehicle, the launching barrels having muzzles which are located at the wall of the turret, an annular compartment concentrically arranged with respect to the axis of rotation of the turret arranged about the turret, an armored vehicle hood member for protecting the annular compartment, an infeed mechanism for the shells and magazines arranged in the annular compartment, said magazines being movable relative to the turret by means of said infeed mechanism into a position in alignment with the mortar, means for infinitely varying the propellant charge chamber at the launching barrels for the purpose of altering the firing range of the shells, said means for varying the propellant charge chambers comprising a sleeve member displaceable within each lauching barrel and serving as a stop for the shells, said sleeve member being equipped with external teeth, and further including helical gears and a shaft, said sleeve member being in driving connection with the shaft via the external teeth and the helical Gears, said sleeve member possessing four forwardly extending arms which are uniformly divided about the periphery thereof, two of said arms being situated diagonally opposite one another and carrying said external teeth, and both of the other arms protruding somewhat past the arms equippped with the external teeth and having a point.

Claim 9

An armored vehicle comprising a laterally alignable mortar operated by a firing crewman, the armored vehicle incorporating a turret for housing the firing crewman, said mortar incorporating a number of launching barrels which are rigidly connected with the laterally alignable turret of the armored vehicle, the launching barrels having muzzles which are located at the wall of the turret, an annular compartment concentrically arranged with respect to the axis of rotation of the turret arranged about the turret, an armored vehicle hood member for protecting the annular compartment, an infeed mechanism for the shells and magazines arranged in the annular compartment, said magazines being movable relative to the turret by means of said infeed mechanism into a position in alignment with the mortar, means for infinitely varying the propellant charge chamber at the launching barrels for the purpose of altering the firing range of the shells, said means for varying the propellant charge chambers comprising a sleeve member displaceable within each lauching barrel and serving as a stop for the shells, said sleeve member being equipped with external teeth, and further including helical gears and a shaft, said sleeve member being in driving connection with the shaft via the external teeth and the helical Gears, said sleeve member possessing four forwardly extending arms which are uniformly divided about the periphery thereof, two of said arms being situated diagonally opposite one another and carrying said external teeth, and both of the other arms protruding somewhat past the arms equippped with the external teeth and having a point.

Claim 10

An armored vehicle comprising a laterally alignable mortar operated by a firing crewman, the armored vehicle incorporating a turret for housing the firing crewman, said mortar incorporating a number of launching barrels which are rigidly connected with the laterally alignable turret of the armored vehicle, the launching barrels having muzzles which are located at the wall of the turret, an annular compartment concentrically arranged with respect to the axis of rotation of the turret arranged about the turret, an armored vehicle hood member for protecting the annular compartment, an infeed mechanism for the shells and magazines arranged in the annular compartment, said magazines being movable relative to the turret by means of said infeed mechanism into a position in alignment with the mortar, means for infinitely varying the propellant charge chamber at the launching barrels for the purpose of altering the firing range of the shells, said means for varying the propellant charge chamber comprises a sleeve member displaceable within each launching barrel and serving as a stop for the shells, the sleeve member possessing internal threading, a threaded spindle, the internal threading of said sleeve member being in driving connection with the threaded spindle, an external sleeve, the sleeve member being displaceable within the external sleeve, said external sleeve being sealingly guided at the floor of the firing mechanism and together with the threaded spindle being mounted to be axially non-displaceable at a plate member, a further threaded spindle mounted at the firing mechanism, said plate member being displaceable at said further threaded spindle.

Claim 11

An armored vehicle comprising a laterally alignable mortar operated by a firing crewman, the armored vehicle incorporating a turret for housing the firing crewman, said mortar incorporating a number of launching barrels which are rigidly connected with the laterally alignable turret of the armored vehicle, the launching barrels having muzzles which are located at the wall of the turret, an annular compartment concentrically arranged with respect to the axis of rotation of the turret arranged about the turret, an armored vehicle hood member for protecting the annular compartment, an infeed mechanism for the shells and magazines arranged in the annular compartment, said magazines being movable relative to the turret by means of said infeed mechanism into a position in alignment with the mortar, means for infinitely varying the propellant charge chamber at the launching barrels for the purpose of altering the firing range of the shells, said means for varying the propellant charge chamber comprises a sleeve member displaceable within each launching barrel and serving as a stop for the shells, the sleeve member possessing internal threading, a threaded spindle, the internal threading of said sleeve member being in driving connection with the threaded spindle, an external sleeve, the sleeve member being displaceable within the external sleeve, said external sleeve being sealingly guided at the floor of the firing mechanism and together with the threaded spindle being mounted to be axially non-displaceable at a plate member, a further threaded spindle mounted at the firing mechanism, said plate member being displaceable at said further threaded spindle.

Claim 12

The armored vehicle as desired in claim 8, wherein the external sleeve is secured against rotation at the plate member, and wherein the inner sleeve member is secured against rotation via a groove and a resilient wedge at the external sleeve.

Claim 13

A mortar comprising a launching barrel having a lengthwise axis and equipped with a muzzle, means for the infeed of shells in front of the muzzle of the launching barrel, said infeed means incorporating a rotatable support, a plurality of shells arranged upon said rotatable support, the axes of said shells forming with one another an imaginary cone surface, the axis of the cone coinciding with the axis of rotation of the rotatable support and the axis of the launching barrel being located at said cone surface.

Claim 14

A mortar comprising a launching barrel having a lengthwise axis and equipped with a muzzle, means for the infeed of shells in front of the muzzle of the launching barrel, said infeed means incorporating a rotatable support, a plurality of shells arranged upon said rotatable support, the axes of said shells forming with one another an imaginary cone surface, the axis of the cone coinciding with the axis of rotation of the rotatable support and the axis of the launching barrel being located at said cone surface.

Claim 15

The mortar as defined in claim 10, said mortar being rigidly mounted in a rotatable turret of an armored vehicle and being laterally alignable by means of said rotatable turret, said launching barrel being provided with a propellant charge chamber, and means for infinitely varying the size of the propellant charge chamber of the launching barrel for the purpose of altering the firing range of the shells.

Claim 16

The mortar as defined in claim 10, further including additional launching barrels arranged parallel to said launching barrel, said additional launching barrels having muzzles, said shells being deliverable to said muzzles by means of said rotatable support

Claim 17

The mortar as defined in claim 10, wherein said rotatable support possesses the shape of an outer surface of a cone at which there are perpendicularly arranged the shells.

Claim 18

The mortar as defined in claim 10, further including magazines in which said shells are arranged at the rotatable support, said magazines possessing honeycomb-like sleeves by means of which firing of the shells occurs in a position in alignment with the launching barrel.

Claim 19

The mortar as defined in claim 10, further including a sleeve member displaceable in the launching barrel and servIng as stop means for the shells, said sleeve member possessing four forwardly extending arms which are uniformly distributed about the periphery thereof, two of said arms being situated diagonally opposite one another, teeth means carried by said diagonally opposite situated arms, and both of the other arms extending past the toothed arms by a predetermined amount and exhibiting a tip.

Claim 20

The mortar as defined in claim 15, wherein the sleeve member possesses internal threading, a threaded spindle, said internal threading of the sleeve member being in driving connection with the threaded spindle, an external sleeve, said sleeve member being displaceable in said external sleeve, a firing mechanism having a floor, said external sleeve being sealingly guided at the floor of said firing mechanism, a plate member, said external sleeve being axially non-displaceably mounted together with the threaded spindle at said plate member, a further threaded spindle mounted at the firing mechanism, said plate member being displaceable at said further threaded spindle.

Claim 21

The mortar as defined in claim 16, further including means for securing the external sleeve at the plate member against rotation, and wherein the inner sleeve member is secured against rotation via a groove and a resilient wedge at the external sleeve.