Smoke munition

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018100725-A1
Application number	US-201715836137-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 8, 2017
Priority date	Jun 8, 2015
Publication date	Apr 12, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

A smoke munition or smoke grenade which can be fired from a launcher, for example a grenade launcher, and has at least one active charge for producing smoke as a protection for ships. To achieve the effect that the active charge of the smoke grenade can be delivered quickly and safely for the ship's crew and the active compound thereof can be converted completely into smoke even after hitting the water, the invention proposes providing the active charge with a floating aid, which can be deployed before the active charge hits the water and prevents the active charge from sinking and prevents the active compound that produces the smoke from becoming wet.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A smoke munition comprising:
at least one active charge for producing smoke as a protection for ships; a grenade casing that includes the active charge and receives the active charge with at least one active compound that produces smoke; and an inflatable floating aid arranged in a front region of the grenade casing.

2 . The smoke munition as claimed in claim 1 , wherein an igniting device for igniting an expulsion charge of the active charge and for igniting a first pyrotechnic delay element, which acts on a priming charge of the active compound, is arranged at a rear end of the grenade casing.

3 . The smoke munition as claimed in claim 2 , wherein a gas-producing mixture is arranged inside the active charge such that the gas-producing mixture is activated by the priming charge of the active compound via a second pyrotechnic delay element.

4 . The smoke munition as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the floating aid is formed such that in an inflated state it prevents the active charge from sinking until a portion of the active compound that produces smoke has converted into smoke.

5 . The smoke munition as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the floating aid has a tire-shaped, sphere-shaped or cushion-shaped form in an inflated state.

6 . The smoke munition as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a telescopic tube device in a pushed-in state is arranged in the front region of the grenade casing.

7 . The smoke munition as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the telescopic tube device has at least two cylindrical tubes enclosed in the pushed-in state by the inflatable floating aid and is non-positively connected to it such that, when the floating aid inflates, the floating aid actuates the telescopic tube device into a pushed-apart state and the combustion products that produce the smoke of the active compound escape into the atmosphere via a space inside the tubes of the telescopic tube device.

8 . The smoke munition as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the smoke munition has, in a front region, a widening in the form of a housing.

9 . The smoke munition as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the active charge has a central middle tube formed of a heat-resistant material that extends in a longitudinal direction and is enclosed by the active compound, and wherein an expulsion charge, a first pyrotechnic delay element, and a priming charge are arranged axially one behind the other.

10 . The smoke munition as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the middle tube has at a front end an opening for the ignition of the second pyrotechnic delay element.

11 . The smoke munition as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the floating aid has in an inflated state a tire-shaped, sphere-shaped, cushion-shaped or similar form.

12 . The smoke munition as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the smoke munition is a smoke grenade that is adapted to be fired from a conventional launcher.

Assignees

• Rheinmetall Waffe Munition Gmbh

Inventors

• Raupp Karl
• Kopp Lothar-Georg
• Lauer Stefan

Classifications

• F42B5/155 Primary

  Smoke-pot projectors, e.g. arranged on vehicles · CPC title

• F42B10/48

  Range-reducing, destabilising or braking arrangements, {e.g. impact-braking arrangements}; Fall-retarding means, {e.g. balloons, rockets for braking or fall-retarding}(F42B10/34 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F42B12/34

  expanding before or on impact, i.e. of dumdum or mushroom type · CPC title

• F42B12/48

  smoke-producing {, e.g. infrared clouds} · CPC title