Techniques are directed to a modular vehicle belly armor kit, as well as systems and methods which utilize such a kit. The kit includes a bottom plate, a top plate, and a plurality of wall sections connecting with the bottom plate and the top plate to form an armor structure that protects a belly portion of the vehicle. After the modular vehicle belly armor kit is positioned underneath a vehicle, the bottom plate may be placed in contact with the vehicle. After the bottom plate is placed in contact with the vehicle, the bottom plate may be fastened to vehicle.
A tactically deployable rotorcraft for targeted delivery of effects and/or sensors includes a body housing an energy subsystem, a control and communications subsystem, and a modular payload compartment for holding an effect or sensor payload, the body having a generally cylindrical outline and a plurality of arm-rotor niches therein. Arm-rotor assemblies are pivotably mounted to the body, each including an articulating arm and a rotor at a distal end, and each being pivotable between (1) a closed position in a corresponding arm-rotor niche within the outline of the body, and (2) an open position extending from the body with the rotor facing in a flight direction. The rotors are powered by the energy subsystem and controlled by the control and communications subsystem to provide powered flight to a target location for delivery of the effect or sensor payload.
A vehicle includes a vehicle ceiling, a vehicle floor, and a vehicle seat assembly that couples with the vehicle ceiling and the vehicle floor. The vehicle seat assembly includes a seat support that supports a vehicle seat from the vehicle ceiling, a base that forms a slip joint with the seat support from the vehicle floor, and a set of limit straps constructed and arranged to limit deflection of the slip joint in response to deformation between the vehicle ceiling and the vehicle floor (e.g., a vehicle collision, deformation between the vehicle ceiling and the vehicle floor possibly due to a blast, etc.). Each limit strap of the set of limit straps has a first end that attaches to a portion of the slip joint and a second end that attaches to the vehicle floor.
B60N 2/16 - Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles the seat or part thereof being movable, e.g. adjustable the whole seat being movable height-adjustable
B60N 2/24 - Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles for particular purposes or particular vehicles
B60N 2/42 - Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles for particular purposes or particular vehicles the seat constructed to protect the occupant from the effect of abnormal g-forces, e.g. crash or safety seats
B60N 2/427 - Seats or parts thereof displaced during a crash
An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) includes a fuselage assembly, a further portion that attaches with the fuselage assembly, and a propulsion assembly coupled with the further portion. The propulsion assembly is constructed and arranged to provide propulsion for the UAV. The fuselage assembly includes a fuselage body constructed and arranged to operate as a forward portion of the UAV, lateral stringers coupled with the fuselage body and extending laterally along the fuselage body, and a set of interchangeable covers to cover at least a portion of a payload bay opening defined by the fuselage body. Utilizing such a fuselage assembly offers a highly configurable mounting architecture to accommodate a wide variety of payloads.
Techniques involve releasing and/or capturing a fixed-wing aircraft (22) using an aerial vehicle (24) with VTOL capabilities while the fixed-wing aircraft (22) is in flight. For example, the vehicle (24) may take off vertically while carrying the fixed-wing aircraft (22) and then fly horizontally before releasing the fixed-wing aircraft (24). Upon release, the fixed-wing aircraft flies independently to perform a mission. After the fixed-wing aircraft has completed its mission, the vehicle may capture the fixed-wing aircraft while both are in flight, and then land together vertically. Such operation enables the fixed-wing aircraft to vertically take off and/or land while avoiding certain drawbacks associated with a conventional VTOL kit such as being burdened by weight and drag from the VTOL kit's rotors/propellers, mounting hardware, etc. during a mission which otherwise would limit the fixed-wing aircraft's maximum airspeed, ceiling, payload capacity, endurance, and so on.
A separated lift-thrust (SLT) aircraft includes a longitudinal-thrust engine and articulated electric rotors, at least some of which are variable-position rotors having variable orientations based on rotor position signals. Control circuitry independently controls thrust of the longitudinal -thrust engine and the thrust and orientation of each of the variable-position rotors, relative to the aircraft lifting surface and longitudinal thrust engine, to provide for commanded thrust-vectoring maneuvering of the aircraft during VTOL, fixed wing flight, and intermediate transitional states, including maintenance of a desired pose of the lifting surface independent of orientation of the rotor orientations when hovering the aircraft in windy conditions. A flight and navigation control system automates flight maneuvers and maintains desired aircraft pose and position relative to static or dynamic coordinates during station keeping, tracking, avoidance, or convergence maneuvers.
B64C 27/26 - Compound rotorcraft, i.e. aircraft using in flight the features of both aeroplane and rotorcraft characterised by provision of fixed wings
B64U 10/20 - Vertical take-off and landing [VTOL] aircraft
B64C 15/12 - Attitude, flight direction or altitude control by jet reaction the jets being propulsion jets the power plant being tiltable
B64C 27/28 - Compound rotorcraft, i.e. aircraft using in flight the features of both aeroplane and rotorcraft with forward-propulsion propellers pivotable to act as lifting rotors
B64C 27/52 - Tilting of rotor bodily relative to fuselage
G05D 1/10 - Simultaneous control of position or course in three dimensions
7.
CASED TELESCOPED AMMUNITION FIREARM WITH TRANSLATING CHAMBER
A weapon (10) for firing cased telescoped (CT) ammunition includes a barrel (12), a chamber assembly (42) with a chamber member (54) and a carrier assembly (38). The chamber member defines a chamber for a CT round for firing, and translates between a firing position aligned with the barrel and an ejection/loading position. The chamber member is spring-biased toward the firing position. The carrier assembly carries the firing pin (104) and performs a recoil in which a carrier and rammer (114) move rearward from a battery position to bring the next CT round into a ramming position and to move the chamber member from the firing position to the ejection/ loading position, and performs a counter-recoil to return to the battery position and cause the rammer to push the next CT round into the chamber. The chamber member is released for biased return to the firing position for a next firing cycle.
F41A 9/45 - Loading arrangements, i.e. for bringing the ammunition into the firing position the cartridge chamber or the barrel as a whole being tiltable between a loading and a firing position
F41A 3/26 - Rigid bolt locks, i.e. having locking elements rigidly mounted on the bolt or bolt handle and on the barrel or breech-housing respectively the locking elements effecting a rotary movement about the barrel axis, e.g. rotating cylinder bolt locks semi-automatically or automatically operated, e.g. having a slidable bolt-carrier and a rotatable bolt
F41A 3/30 - Interlocking means, e.g. locking lugs, screw threads
F41A 9/23 - Movable ammunition carriers or loading trays, e.g. for feeding from magazines sliding, e.g. reciprocating mounted within a smallarm
F41A 15/00 - Cartridge extractors, i.e. devices for pulling cartridges or cartridge cases at least partially out of the cartridge chamber; Cartridge ejectors, i.e. devices for throwing the extracted cartridges or cartridge cases free of the gun
A weapon for firing cased telescoped (CT) ammunition includes a barrel (10), a barrel extension (32) comprising a chamber cavity (52) aligned with the barrel, and a chamber assembly (42) with a translating chamber member (54) defining a chamber for holding a CT round for firing. The chamber member moves between a firing position in the chamber cavity and an ejection/loading position for ejecting a spent CT round and receiving a next CT round. A breech member (230, 252) closes a rear end of the chamber. A carrier performs a counter-recoil operation in which (1) the chamber member is moved from the ejection/loading position to the firing position with the next CT round therein, and (2) the breech is urged into a closed position against the next CT round in the chamber to remove headspace before the next CT round is fired from the weapon.
F41A 9/45 - Loading arrangements, i.e. for bringing the ammunition into the firing position the cartridge chamber or the barrel as a whole being tiltable between a loading and a firing position
F41A 3/26 - Rigid bolt locks, i.e. having locking elements rigidly mounted on the bolt or bolt handle and on the barrel or breech-housing respectively the locking elements effecting a rotary movement about the barrel axis, e.g. rotating cylinder bolt locks semi-automatically or automatically operated, e.g. having a slidable bolt-carrier and a rotatable bolt
F41A 3/30 - Interlocking means, e.g. locking lugs, screw threads
F41A 9/23 - Movable ammunition carriers or loading trays, e.g. for feeding from magazines sliding, e.g. reciprocating mounted within a smallarm
An aircraft includes an airframe having a fixed-wing section and a plurality of articulated electric rotors, at least some of which are variable-position rotors having different operating configurations based on rotor position. A first operating configuration is a vertical-flight configuration in which the rotors generate primarily vertical thrust for vertical flight, and a second operating configuration is a horizontal-flight configuration in which the rotors generate primarily horizontal thrust for horizontal fixed-wing flight. Control circuitry independently controls rotor thrust and rotor orientation of the variable-position rotors to provide thrust-vectoring maneuvering. The fixed-wing section may employ removable wing panels so the aircraft can be deployed both in fixed-wing and rotorcraft configurations for different missions.
A magazine (100) for storing cased telescoped (CT) cartridges. The magazine includes vertically extending side-wall ribs (110, 112) that project inwards into a loading channel. The side-wall ribs are positioned in alignment with a circumferential groove (202) in each CT cartridge. The side-wall ribs prevent a backwards oriented CT cartridge from being pushed from the loading position through the loading channel into a body of the magazine. A moveable lip (1404) at the top of the magazine may move out of the way when the magazine is attached to a firearm, to allow the CT cartridge located in the loading position to be fed vertically out of the top of magazine. Each CT cartridge may include a thermal protective insert that provides thermal insulation from heat emanating from a barrel of a firearm when the CT cartridge is located in a chamber of the firearm.
A firearm for firing cased telescoped (CT) ammunition cartridges that includes a split chamber configured to fully support a CT cartridge when it is fired, and that includes i) a dynamic rear chamber portion (106) defining a pocket (108) in a face of a bolt (110), and ii) a static front chamber portion (112) that is integral to the barrel (100) and separate from the bolt. A cartridge extraction mechanism (116) engages the CT cartridge prior to the CT cartridge being fired, and holds the CT cartridge in the pocket in the bolt face as the bolt moves rearward to pull the CT cartridge out of the static front chamber portion and into an ejection position. An ejector (114) is operable to eject the CT cartridge from the pocket in the face of the bolt when the CT cartridge reaches the ejection position.
F41A 9/46 - Loading arrangements, i.e. for bringing the ammunition into the firing position the cartridge chamber being formed by two complementary elements, movable one relative to the other for loading
F41A 3/26 - Rigid bolt locks, i.e. having locking elements rigidly mounted on the bolt or bolt handle and on the barrel or breech-housing respectively the locking elements effecting a rotary movement about the barrel axis, e.g. rotating cylinder bolt locks semi-automatically or automatically operated, e.g. having a slidable bolt-carrier and a rotatable bolt
F41A 15/04 - Cartridge extractors, i.e. devices for pulling cartridges or cartridge cases at least partially out of the cartridge chamber; Cartridge ejectors, i.e. devices for throwing the extracted cartridges or cartridge cases free of the gun specially adapted for cartridge cases being deformed when fired, e.g. of plastics
F41A 15/14 - Cartridge extractors, i.e. devices for pulling cartridges or cartridge cases at least partially out of the cartridge chamber; Cartridge ejectors, i.e. devices for throwing the extracted cartridges or cartridge cases free of the gun for bolt-action guns the ejector being mounted on, or within, the bolt
12.
UAV WITH WING-PLATE ASSEMBLIES PROVIDING EFFICIENT VERTICAL TAKEOFF AND LANDING CAPABILITY
A technique is directed to operating an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) having a fuselage defining a flight direction of the UAV and wing-plate assemblies that propel the UAV in the flight direction defined by the fuselage. The technique involves providing, while the flight direction defined by fuselage of the UAV points vertically from a takeoff location on the ground, thrust from propulsion units of the wing plate assemblies to fly the UAV along a vertical takeoff path. The technique further involves maneuvering, after the UAV flies along the vertical takeoff path, the UAV to align the flight direction along a horizontal flight path that is perpendicular to the vertical takeoff path. The technique further involves providing, after the UAV flies along the horizontal flight path, thrust from the propulsion units of the wing-plate assemblies to land the UAV along a vertical landing path.
B64C 29/02 - Aircraft capable of landing or taking-off vertically, e.g. vertical take-off and landing [VTOL] aircraft having its flight directional axis vertical when grounded
Methods, computer-readable media, and systems for externally cued aircraft warning and defense are disclosed. A surveillance system (110) may include a sensor field or array (114) and may include a processor system (116) that processes signals including acoustic signals received by the sensor array. Signals including acoustic signals are processed to determine the presence of indicia, including acoustic signatures, of known surface-to-air missiles (130) including man-portable air defense systems. When the presence of such surface- to-air missiles is indicated, a cue signal is sent to one or more countermeasure systems (144, 146, 150) that include one or more countermeasures such as chaff, expendable decoys and flares. The countermeasure systems may be ground-based or aircraft-based. The countermeasures are deployed in response to the cue signal. The surface-to-air missile may consequently be defeated.
patents
