Weapon clearance appliance for clearing weapons, such as underwater mines, under water, unmanned underwater vehicle having a weapon clearance appliance of this kind, and method for this purpose

US8807002B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• ATLAS ELEKTRONIK GMBH · DE

Inventor

• Detlef Lambertus · Höflaweg, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Mar 29, 2011
• Grant date: Aug 19, 2014
• Expiry date: Apr 28, 2031

Classification

• Technology area (CPC B): Performing Operations; Transporting
• CPC primary: B63G7/02
• WIPO field: Transport
• WIPO sector: Mechanical engineering

Abstract

The invention relates to a weapon clearance appliance for clearing weapons, such as underwater mines or munitions which have been sunk in waterways, under water by detonation of the weapon. In this case, the weapon clearance appliance is provided with means for detachable connection to an unmanned underwater vehicle, so that the underwater vehicle is a safe distance away when the weapon is detonated. In order to allow the use of conventional small underwater vehicles, the volume of the weapon clearance appliance is chosen such that the buoyancy force which acts on the weapon clearance appliance under water compensates for the force of gravity acting on the weapon clearance appliance. Therefore, the weapon clearance appliance has neutral buoyancy, as a result of which, after the weapon clearance appliance has been released from the underwater vehicle, there is no need to retrim the underwater vehicle. There is therefore no need for trimming devices on the underwater vehicle. The invention also relates to an underwater vehicle having a weapon clearance appliance of this kind, and to a method for clearing weapons using a weapon clearance appliance of this kind.