Projectile with aft obturating device

摘要

A projectile, such as a guided mortar projectile, has both a front obturator and an aft obturating device. The aft obturating device is located aft of the front obturator, and serves to trap pressurized gases behind the aft obturating device, so as to provide further propulsion to the projectile with the trapped pressurized gases, even after the front obturator has cleared the muzzle of a launcher. The aft obturating device provides less resistance to movement of pressurized gases across the aft obturating device in the aft direction, than to movement of pressurized gases across the aft obturating device in the forward direction, and may act as a check valve with regard to such gas flows. The aft obturating device may be part of a cap that is coupled to a tail boom of the projectile, and that drops away from the projectile after launch.

主权项

1. A projectile launchable from a launcher comprising:
a projectile body; a propellant on the body; a forward obturator on the body, wherein the forward obturator is forward of the propellant; and an aft obturating device that is aft of the propellant; wherein the aft obturating device contains pressurized gas that is behind the projectile in the launcher, after the forward obturator has cleared the launcher; wherein the aft obturating device reversibly provides greater resistance to flow of pressurized gas from aft of the aft obturating device to forward of the aft obturating device, than to flow of pressurized gas from forward of the aft obturating device to aft of the aft obturating device.