Projectile Designed for Recoilless and Virtually Noiseless Firing

Our present invention relates to a projectile designed to be fired from a launcher, such as an open-ended tube, without recoil and with minimum noise.

It is known, e.g. from German published specification No. 2,140,875, to assemble within an open-ended launching tube a series of elements including a projectile and an inertial mass bracketing a propulsive charge between them. The projectile and the inertial mass are provided with respective sabots which are driven apart upon detonation of the charge and are intercepted, at opposite ends of the tube, by constrictions letting the projectile and the inertial mass pass through in opposite directions. The impact of the sabots upon the constricted tube ends is reduced by interposed deformable braking rings. Upon a simultaneous interception of the two sabots, the impact is balanced so that the launcher experiences no recoil. Such simultaneity, however, is difficult to achieve in practice even if the mass of the inertial body exactly equals that of the projectile; thus, different coefficients of friction may result in consecutive rather than concurrent engagement of the end barriers by the two sabots. Other problems encountered with this type of launching system include the direct heating of the tube, especially in a succession of firings, by the combustion gases which can escape only slowly from the interior of the tube.

The general object of our present invention is to provide an improved projectile which can be fired in a recoilless and virtually noiseless manner from a simple launcher, without subjecting that launcher to mechanical impact or overheating.

Another object is to provide means in such a projectile for utilizing the residual energy of confined combustion gases to impart an in-flight thrust to the projectile after firing.

In accordance with our present invention, an inertial body more or less balancing the mass of a projectile to be fired is initially disposed within a tubular tail forming an integral part of the projectile, rather than in an external launching tube surrounding same. The inertial body, which should consist of a frangible mass disintegrating upon its discharge from the tubular tail, is separated from a projectile head by a propulsive charge whose detonation, therefore, drives the projectile and the body in opposite directions. A sabot engaging the inertial body is intercepted at a constricted rear end of the projectile tail but has a low mass compared with that of the inertial body so as not significantly to decelerate the launched projectile even as the inertial body is discharged therefrom.

Advantageously, pursuant to another feature of our invention, the sabot has a transverse wall which initially separates the inertial body from the charge and, upon interception of the sabot at the rear end of the projectile tail, defines with the peripheral wall of that tail a substantially closed chamber from which the confined combustion gases can escape only slowly, preferably through one or more rearwardly facing nozzles provided in the sabot and/or in the peripheral wall. By their delayed escape, these combustion gases exert an in-flight forward thrust upon the projectile. The development of this thrust can be positively retarded by initially blocking each nozzle with a heat-destructible plug of fusible, combustible or carbonizable material.

The above and other features of our invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawing the sole FIGURE of which shows, in axial section, a projectile according to our invention lodged in a launching tube.

As shown in the drawing, a launching tube 2 open at both ends provides guidance for a projectile 4 consisting essentially of a pointed warhead 4a, containing a nonillustrated explosive charge, and a tubular tail 4b integral with that warhead. Tail 4b, having a diameter which is less than that of warhead 4a and which therefore is separated from the tube 2 by an annular clearance, is provided with a set of wings 14 (only two shown) which are articulated to the rear end of the tail by hinge mountings 16 for swinging about pivot pins 16a that are skew to the tube axis O and transverse to the direction of projectile motion. The wings 14, pointing forwardly in the illustrated launching position, serve for the guidance of the projectile 4 within the launching tube 2 and swing back through an arc of 90.degree.-180.degree., here shown to be about 120.degree., upon leaving that tube for stabilizing the flight of the projectile, as by imparting a spin to it (in which case, of course, they will have to be suitably slanted or curved).

The interior of tail 4b is occupied, in order, by a propulsive charge 6, a sabot 8 and an inertial body 10 seated in a rearwardly facing recess 8a of the sabot. Body 10, which consists of a frangible mass, clears a constriction 4c at the rear end of tail 4b which is formed by a rearwardly tapering peripheral surface and intercepts the relatively light-weight sabot 8 as it moves rearwardly with reference to projectile 4 upon detonation of the charge 6. the transverse wall of sabot 8 has a nozzle orifice 8b occupied by a plug 12 which burns, vaporizes or chars under the heat of the combustion gases so as to let these gases escape after a certain delay following the firing of the projectile, that delay being sufficient to carry the projectile well beyond the range in which these escaping gases would be harmful to the operator of the launcher. Instead of or in conjunction with the nozzle orifice 8b in sabot 8 other nozzles 4d on the rear end of tail 4b, also occupied by plugs 12, can be provided which are uncovered by the sabot engaging the constriction 4c and also serve to let the trapped combustion gases under high residual pressure escape in a rearward direction for exerting a forward thrust upon the projectile. As the gases do not expand into the launching tube, the firing will not be accompanied by a sharp report. Since the projectile with the hot gases quickly leaves the tube 2, the latter is not significantly heated thereby.

In conjunction with the frangible mass of body 10, reference may be made of U.S. Pat. No. 3,779,130 mentioning gritty solid substances such as sand.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that the launcher 2 need not fulfill any tasks other than aiming the projectile and carrying the nonillustrated charge detonator. It may therefore consist of a structurally weak pipe or a simple guide rail.

It will be noted that the body 10 in its initial position, illustrated in the drawing, would block the escape path for gases evolving from charge 6 by way of nozzle orifices 8b and 4d even in the absence of plugs 12.