Observation system for military vehicles

Claim 1

In a military ground vehicle that includes a hull having front and rear ends, a gun platform centrally mounted on the hull for rotational motion in the azimuth plane, two laterally-spaced gun-cradle walls extending upwardly from the platform, and a main gun centrally located in the space between said cradle walls for swinging ajustments in the elevational plane: the improvement comprising a first driver-controlled television camera located on the hull near its front end; means for adjusting said first camera so that its line-of-sight is movable in the azimuth and elevational planes; a first television receiver located within the hull at the driver's station; first cable connections between the first camera and first receiver, whereby the driver is enabled to view the terrain in front of the vehicle; a second television camera located on the rotary platform between the gun cradle walls and directly below the main gun, with its line-of-sight oriented on the elevational plane of the gun-aiming axis; a second television receiver located within the hull at the gunner's station; second cable connections between the second camera and second receiver whereby the gunner is enabled to train the gun on targets within the second camera field-of-view; a third commander-controlled television camera located at an elevated point on one of the gun cradle walls; means for adjusting said third camera so that its light-of-sight is movable in the aximuth and elevational planes; a third television receiver located within the hull at the commander's station; and cable connections between the third camera and third receiver whereby the commander is enabled to seek new targets while the gunner is firing the main gun at a previously-selected target.