Submunition

US5668346A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• Diehl GmbH & Co. · DE

Inventors

• Jurgen Kunz · Reichenschwand, DE
• Max Rentzsch · Westerburg, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Apr 10, 1996
• Grant date: Sep 16, 1997
• Expiry date: Apr 10, 2016

Classification

• Technology area (CPC F): Mechanical Engineering; Lighting; Heating
• CPC primary: F42B12/32
• WIPO field: Other special machines
• WIPO sector: Mechanical engineering

Abstract

For attacking semi-hard target objects (21) even in a semi-covered position (for the avoidance of the munition-technical expenditure on the intelligent search-fuse submunition with P-charge against hard targets), there is provided a scatter munition whose warhead (22 ) descends into the target area (12 ), hanging on a rotational parachute (13), and triggers off a fragment cone of heavy metal balls (23) inclinedly downwardly as soon as a search-fuse sensor (19) which is oriented parallel to the operative direction acquires a target object (21) on the basis of its own radiation, its radiation shadow or its contour relative to the surrounding target area (12). If that acquisition effect should still not have occurred by the time that a remaining height above the target area (12) is reached then--controlled in dependence on height by the sensor (19)--the warhead (22) is moved out of the slightly inclined orientation into the vertical orientation so that a peripheral surface covering of smaller heavy metal cubes (25) is discharged in the form of an approximately horizontal all-around fragmentation fan against any unprotected targets in the vicinity.