Artillery

Previous posts showed F-5 obsolete

   One of the goals of modern militaries is to have an artillery piece that can fire rapidly.  The following is one method of obtaining that goal.

   The ammunition would be held in boxes, the boxes would be loaded onto the artillery piece.   The boxes would be made out of aluminum armor and would have perhaps 3 levels of shells stored.  It would have to be able to feed when tilted to either the right or left.  The weight of the upper levels of shell would lock and prevent the movement of the lower levels until the upper levels are empty allowing for sequential emptying of the box.  There would have to be a door on the lower side of the left and right sides to cover the shell when in storage, but which would be opened for loading and use.

   The extra boxes would be carried on a tracked vehicle with a heavy hydraulic loading arm, as at left.  The artillery piece would have 3 boxes on each side of the gun.  The boxes would be held horizontal for movement, to lower the vehicle height and center of gravity, and would be raised at an angle for firing, upper view.  The six boxes would allow some variety in the shells carried.  Each box would have one type of shell, and the 6 would allow for 2 boxes of high explosive, 2 of armor piercing and 2 of smoke or 3 HE and 2 AP and 1 smoke.
For  155mm artillery, the shell and propellant weigh about 150 pounds, for 20 shells that would be 3000 pounds, with the box it would total 5000-6000 lbs.  The ammunition carrier would have no more thatn 6 boxes to save weight, they would weigh 30 000 - 36 0000 lbs, 15 -18 tons.
    For loading; the empty box would be removed from the artillery and placed in a temporary position, a new, full box would be moved to the artillery and the empty box would be placed where the full box was removed.  The arm would be guided by cameras and perhaps laser range determination and positioning.

   In A, is shown the 3 boxes on the artillery with a carrier that will shuttle the ammunition for loading.  The carrier could be attached to, essentially, a very large bicycle chain powered by an electric motor.  The carrier would shuttle back and forth alongside the gun to move and position ammunition.  There would be one carrier on the right and another on the left side of the gun.
   In B, the carrier stops alongside a loading arm.  The shell is transferred to the loading arm and the loading arm positions the shell behind the gun breach and loads it.  The loading arm is then moved out of the way before the gun is fired and the process is repeated.
    The shells can probably be gravity fed from the boxes and would need to he some restraint when on the carrier.