| 摘要 |
A large caliber cannon (26) such as a 155 mm Howitzer using ammunition rounds consisting of a projectile and a separate propellant charge which are loaded in sequence into the breech (28) of the cannon. The cannon (26) is mounted on a gun carriage (30) and is free to move in elevation on the carriage (30) about an elevation axis (31). The carriage (30) is controllable in azimuth for gun aiming. A first storage drum (36) for holding a plurality of projectiles and a second storage drum (37) for the charges are mounted on the carriage (30). A projectile transfer tray (46) and a propellant charge transfer tray (47) are positioned to receive the projectiles and their propellant charges from the respective storage drums (36,37). The trays (46,47) are pivotally mounted on cradle arms (48,49) so that they may be rotated between a receiving position and a gun loading position. The cradle arms (48,49) are pivotally mounted on the gun carriage (30) so that they may be rotated about the elevation axis (31) between their elevation in the receiving position and a position in alignment with the breech (28) when the cannon is being trained. A control is provided which actuates a mechanism to transfer the projectiles and charges from the storage drums (36,37) to the respective trays (46,47) and from the trays to the breech (28). The control monitors the position of the mechanical components and actuates them in appropriate sequence so that a series of ammunition rounds are delivered from the drums (36,37) to the breech (28). |
