Optimized subsonic projectiles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11549789-B2
Application number	US-201916433821-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 6, 2019
Priority date	Apr 21, 2015
Publication date	Jan 10, 2023
Grant date	Jan 10, 2023

Abstract

Various embodiments of optimized subsonic projectiles are provided. For example, one exemplary subsonic projectile can include an elliptical nose cone, a cylindrical body and a boattail with various design features that can be used in a subsonic ammunition cartridge where the subsonic projectile is stabile throughout at least a segment of a flight allowing for better accuracy, maintaining low drag, maximizing range and achieving desired performance while ensuring the projectile stays below the speed of sound and lowering a noise profile of projectile and a launcher firing the projectile.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A subsonic ammunition cartridge comprising:
a casing having a base end and an open end wherein said casing has an internal volume;
a primer inserted in said base end of said casing; and
a projectile comprised of a nose cone, a body, and a boattail that gradually decreases in diameter toward an aft portion of said projectile, wherein said body is disposed between said nose cone and said boattail, wherein said boattail is disposed within said internal volume of said casing and a portion of said body in proximity to said boattail of said projectile is inserted in said open end of said casing and press fitted to said portion of the body such that said projectile is configured to exit from said open end of said casing through the air in a nose cone to boattail orientation at a subsonic velocity;
wherein said nose cone has a first length, said body has a second length, and said boattail has a third length, wherein said third length is at least 50% as long as said first and second lengths combined; and
wherein said boattail is formed with at least one rebated structure comprising a right angle step from the body section of the projectile.

2. A subsonic ammunition projectile comprising:
a nose cone, a body, and a boattail that gradually decreases in diameter toward an aft portion of the projectile, wherein said body is disposed between said nose cone and said boattail, wherein said nose cone has a first length, said body has a second length, and said boattail has a third length, wherein said third length is at least 50% of said first and second lengths combined,
wherein said boattail is formed with at least one rebated structure comprising a right angle step from the body section of the projectile;
wherein said projectile is configured to travel at a subsonic velocity in a direction of travel such that said nose cone is located at a front portion and said boattail is oriented at an aft with respect to said direction of travel.

3. The cartridge of claim 1 , wherein at least one of said nose cone, said boattail, or said body are formed with at least one turbulence generator comprising a ring or groove structure formed into said nose, body, or boattail that is perpendicular to a first axis formed by a line drawn from a center of said nose cone to a center of said boattail.

4. The cartridge of claim 1 , wherein said nose cone is formed into an elliptical shape with a flattened meplat on a center of said nose cone.

5. The cartridge of claim 1 , wherein said projectile is formed with a center of pressure further from a center of said nose cone along a first axis than from a center of gravity.

6. The cartridge of claim 1 , wherein said projectile is formed with a body to boattail transition having an angle of 8 degrees as defined by a first plane collinear with an external surface of said body and a second plane collinear with an external surface of said boattail.

7. The projectile of claim 2 , wherein at least one of said nose cone, said boattail, or said body are formed with at least one turbulence generator comprising a ring or groove structure formed into said nose cone, body, or boattail that is perpendicular to a first axis formed by a line drawn from a center of said nose cone to a center of said boattail.

8. The projectile of claim 2 , wherein said nose cone is formed into an elliptical shape with a flattened meplat on a center of said nose cone.

9. The projectile of claim 2 , wherein said projectile is formed with a center of pressure further from a center of said nose cone along a first axis than a center of gravity.

10. The projectile of claim 2 , wherein said projectile is formed with a body to boattail transition having an angle of 8 degrees as defined by a first plane collinear with an external surface of said body and a second plane collinear with an external surface of said boattail.

Assignees

• Us Navy

Inventors

• Taylor Lucius A
• Burkart Joseph T

Classifications

• F42B12/74

  of the core or solid body · CPC title

• F42B10/00

  Means for influencing, e.g. improving, the aerodynamic properties of projectiles or missiles; Arrangements on projectiles or missiles for stabilising, steering, range-reducing, range-increasing or fall-retarding (F42B6/00 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F42B5/02 Primary

  Cartridges, i.e. cases with charge and missile · CPC title

• F42B33/001

  Devices or processes for assembling ammunition, cartridges or cartridge elements from parts · CPC title

• F42B10/32

  Range-reducing or range-increasing arrangements; Fall-retarding means · CPC title