Incendiary payload for a heavy-duty ballistic projectile

Claim 1

In an elongated, heavy-duty ballistic projectile wherein a detonation-charge containing nose portion of the projectile communicates axially with a tail section thereof through a central ignition channel, and wherein an ejectable payload comprising incendiary material is disposed along and arranged coaxially around the central ignition channel and is disposed before detonation within a plurality of hollow annular elongated containers, the containers being successively disposed in abutting relation between the nose portion of the projectile and an end plate situated in the tail of the projectile behind the rear-most container, the inner boundary of each container including at least one aperture extending radially therethrough for providing communication between the interior of the ignition channel and the incendiary material within the associated container to effect ignition of the incendiary material upon detonation of the charge, the improvement wherein the end plate in the tail section is removably supported within the tail section and is adapted to be blown free of the projectile by gas pressure generated during detonation of the charge and conducted to the end plate through the ignition channel; and wherein the containers are each formed from a material capable of withstanding the gas pressure generated during detonation of the charge so that the containers remain intact as a self-supporting column after the incendiary material therein is ignited, whereby the intact containers with the ignited incendiary charge disposed therein are ejected rearwardly in a sequential manner out of the projectile when the end plate is blown clear of the projectile.