FR2692975A1 - Position stabiliser, esp. for landmine - comprises flat rigid ring, disc or cross, attached to mine by twisted cables or folded strips which deploy on launching - Google Patents

Abstract

The stabiliser consists of a flat rigid member (20) with smaller outer dimensions than those of the sub-munition, to which it is connected by semi-rigid suspension elements (211, 212). The suspension elements are folded on launching or scattering and are deployed by aerodynamic effect or the nature of the material from which they are made so that the sub-munition occupies a satisfactory position when on the ground. The suspension elements can be attached to the sub-munition by rivetting, welding or similar, and they can be made from twisted cables of a material such as a polyamide, or from metal or plastic straps which can have thin zones to facilitate folding. The flat member can be made in the form of a thin ring, disc or cross. USE/ADVANTAGE - Sets mine in correct position on deployment. Design is simple and operation is efficient.

Description

 The invention relates to a device for stabilizing a submunition, such as a mine, dispersed or dropped.

 It relates, in particular, to a device for stabilizing a submunition dispersed from a means such as a launch tube carried by an airplane, a helicopter or a land vehicle, or even dropped from an ammunition such as a shell, a rocket or a missile and it finds a more particular application in the stabilization, on its trajectory, of a dispersible mine of the type "bidirectional with formed charge".

Such a mine, which is mainly used for the neutralization of armored vehicles using a hollow charge or a flat charge and which develops its full effectiveness only for a preferential position of said charge relative to the device which it must neutralize, is described in FR-2 448 708 to which reference is made here for further explanations. To increase the possibility of obtaining a satisfactory positioning of the charge of such a dropped or dispersed mine relative to the device it must neutralize, said charge has a shape such that it can generate charge jets in two opposite directions, so that one or other of the charges will always be fully operational as long as the mine , whose general external shape is somewhat that of a very flattened barrel or a millstone, rests on one or the other of its plane end faces perpendicular to its axis of revolution, that is to say is not field set.

To precisely avoid this being the case, it has already been proposed, in FR-2 475 716, to associate with the mine of the "bidirectional type with charge formed" means allowing it to take, at the time of installation, one or the other of the two preferential directions, and this, in particular, when the ground on which the mine is released or dispersed is hard ground. The means used, which are constituted by flexible tongues placed around the periphery of the mine , do not solve the problem of positioning dropped or dispersed mines on loose soil into which the mines penetrate during their impact by taking a position which, frequently, does not allow them to exercise their maximum effectiveness during the initiation of the explosive charge. To overcome this drawback, it was then suggested, for example in
FR-A-2 650 661, to slow down dispersed or dropped munitions during their flight, for example using a parachute or a flexible stabilization band forming a drop-down train attached to the rear of the mine . Such a device, however, is very sensitive to cross wind, with the consequence of a reduction in the precision of the mine on the one hand and, on the other hand, a greater complexity of the loading of ammunition given care must be taken that the flexible stabilization bands do not catch on the springs which cause the dispersion, or around the projectile.

 It is therefore a general object of the invention to provide a device for stabilizing a dropped or dispersed submunition from a launch system, in particular a bi-directional mine with a charged charge, which does not does not have the drawbacks of known devices both with regard to positioning on loose ground and with regard to sensitivity to cross wind after dropping or dispersing.

 It is also an object of the invention to provide such a device, the cost of which does not strike excessively that of submunition, such as a bi-directional dispersible mine with shaped charge, a mine which we know can be implemented in the field with very high densities to be fully operational against columns of armored vehicles or the like.

 It is also an object of the invention to provide such a device which occupies only a small footprint, so as not to reduce the military load with, as an additional consequence, easy integration of the mine equipped with its device in a dispersion or release container.

 It is, finally, an object of the invention to provide such a device which does not interfere with the discretion of the dispersed or dropped minefield.

 These and other objects are achieved, in a device according to the invention suitable for being associated with a submunition such as a bi-directional dispersible mine with a shaped charge, by the fact that said device consists of a flat element, rigid, of apparent outline smaller than that of the submunition with which it is associated and to which it is connected by semi-rigid hangers of predetermined length, folded in the condition of launching of the munition in which the planar element is adjacent to said submunition and which, when they deploy by aerodynamic effect during launching or dropping and / or by mechanical effect due to the nature of the material which constitutes them, bring said submunition into a satisfactory position on the floor when laying on it.

 To associate the device with submunition, the invention provides for fixing the lines by riveting or welding on one of the planar faces thereof.

In one embodiment, the lines are strands or cables stranded in polyamide (for example nylon, (a registered trademark of the company DU
BRIDGE OF NEMOURS).

 In another embodiment, the lines are blades, metallic or made of a plastic material of the thermoplastic type.

 In the case of line hangers, the invention provides for thinned areas on said blades facilitating their folding to keep the device in the folded condition, before dropping or dispersing the submunition.

 Whatever the embodiment of the lines, the invention provides for producing the flat, rigid element, as a thin plate shaped according to a ring, a disc, or a cruciform contour.

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear from the description which follows, given by way of example and with reference to the appended drawing in which
- Figure 1 is a view of a mine equipped with a device according to the invention before dropping or dispersing
- Figure 1A is an elevational view with partial cutaway
- Figure 2 is a view similar to that of Figure 1 during deployment of the device
- Figure 3 is a view similar to that of Figures 1 and 2, but illustrating the deployed condition
- Figure 4 is a detail view illustrating the attachment of a device part according to the invention on the flat face of a mine
- Figure 5 is a view similar to that of Figure 3, but for another embodiment
- Figure 6 is a view similar to that of Figure 5, but for yet another embodiment
- Figure 7 is a plan view of a device according to the invention
- Figure 8 is a sectional view along line 8-8 of Figure 7
- Figure 9 is a detail view, on a larger scale, of the part shown at B in Figure 8;
- Figure 10 is a view similar to that of Figure 7, but for another embodiment.

Reference is first made to FIGS. 1 to 4 which schematically illustrate the structure and operation of a device according to the invention as applied to a submunition constituted by a mine of the "bidirectional charge formed" type , without this indication having, however, any limiting nature whatsoever, insofar as the stabilization device according to the invention is suitable for being associated with a submunition of this type or of any other type intended for be dispersed or dropped. When the submunition is a "bidirectional charge formed mine", this may be of the type described in FR-2 448 708 or
FR-2,475,716, that is to say with an explosive charge 10 comprised between two coatings 11 and 12, FIG. 1A, of the same axis
XX ′ but symmetrical with respect to a mean plane perpendicular to the axis XX ′ in order to be able to generate charge jets in two opposite directions, as described in the two aforementioned French Patents, the content of which is incorporated in this Request for reference . As explained in these documents, and as shown in the figures, the mine M has a general external shape which is somewhat that of a very flattened barrel or a grinding wheel with planar end faces 13 and 14, with contour circular, with a diameter less than the diameter 9 of the middle zone 15 of the mine.

 The latter, which is intended to be dispersed from a launch tube, or to be released from ammunition or to be dispersed from a land vehicle comprising a mine spreader or from a plane or helicopter, can only develop its full effectiveness against a device it must neutralize, such as a tank or an armored vehicle, only if it lies flat, that is to say with its axis XX ′ substantially perpendicular to the ground, whatever the nature of the latter. In order to be effectively so, the invention proposes to associate with mine M a stabilization device D comprising a flat, rigid element, 20 of apparent outline smaller than the diameter d and which is connected to the mine by lines 211, 212, etc., regularly distributed over the periphery of the element 20 to which they are fixed at one of their ends, while their other end is joined to one of the faces of mine M (for example 14) using rivets like 22, FIG. 4, or by welding, or by any other appropriate means.

 In the initial condition of the device, which is that shown in Figure 1, the lines 21, semi-rigid and of predetermined length, are folded and the size is practically that of the mine not equipped with the device, so that it can be easily integrated into ammunition or a release device. When the device D begins to deploy, either by an aerodynamic effect, or by a purely mechanical effect due to the elasticity of the material constituting the lines 21, the condition of the device is first of all that shown in FIG. 2 for, in end of deployment, be that shown in Figure 3. In this last condition, the center of thrust is rejected towards the rear of the projectile and the latter acquires a static margin of a few centimeters which gives it sufficient stability on its trajectory to that it lands on the ground resting on its face 13. The small size of the lines 21 and the flat element 20, the thickness of which can be of the order of a few millimeters, means that the sensitivity to transverse wind is significantly lower than that of known systems with parachute or flexible stabilization band forming a train.

 In addition, the mine M is not slowed down on its trajectory and retains its initial range, the rigid flat element 20 having an apparent contour less than the diameter d of the mine.

 In a first embodiment, the lines which connect the flat element 20 to the face 14 of the mine M (of the type described in FR-2 475 716 and which thus comprises tab L) are strands or strands cables 30, Figure 5, the length of which is chosen to prevent them from rolling up on themselves and which are advantageously made of a material of the polyamide type.

 In another embodiment, FIG. 6, the device which is associated with a lead M, also provided with tongues L, presents not cords 30, but blades 35, metallic or made of a plastic material of the thermoplastic type, fixed at one of their ends on the face 14 of the mine and at their other end on the rigid flat element 20.

 The latter may be in the form of a ring, as shown diagrammatically in FIGS. 1 to 3 and in FIG. 7, or in the form of a disc, or alternatively be cut along a cruciform contour, as shown in FIG. 10, where said element bears the reference 20a, the differences in shape and surface of the rigid flat element being taken advantage of to modulate the stabilization of the assembly.

 When, as shown in FIGS. 7, 8 and 10, the flat element 20 or 20a is connected to the mine proper by lines formed according to blades 35, the invention also proposes to provide thinned zones on the latter 36 , Figure 9, which facilitate folding corresponding to the position of integration of the mine before release or dispersion.

 Attempts to lay M mines dispersed from a launch tube carried by a land vehicle have shown that good results have been obtained by combining bidirectional charged mines with a flat flange with a thickness of 2 mm in polyamide connected to an end face of the mine by polyamide lines, such as nylon (a registered trademark of the company DU PONT DE NEMOURS) with a deployed length of 60 mm.

Claims (7)

 1. A device for stabilizing a submunition, such as a dispersible or droppable mine "bidirectional with shaped charge", characterized in that it is constituted by a flat, rigid element (20, 20a) of apparent outline smaller than that of the submunition (M) with which it is associated and to which it is connected by semi-rigid lines (21, 30, 35), of predetermined length, folded in the condition of launching of the submunition (M) in which the planar element (20, 20a) is adjacent to said submunition and which, when deployed by aerodynamic effect during launching or dropping and / or by mechanical effect due to the nature of the material which constitutes them, bring said submunition (M) in a satisfactory position on the ground when placed on it.  2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the lines (21, 30, 35) are fixed to an end face (14) of the submunition (M) by riveting, welding or the like.  3. Device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the lines (30) are strands or stranded cables, preferably made of a material of the polyamide type.  4. Device according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the lines are blades (35), metallic or made of a plastic material of the thermoplastic type.  5. Device according to claim 4, characterized in that said blades (35) have thinned zones (36) facilitating their folding to maintain the device in the folded condition before dropping or dispersing the submunition (M) .  6. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the flat element (20, 20a) is produced as a thin plate shaped according to a ring, a disc or is cruciform in outline (Figure 10) .  7. Cluster munitions, in particular bidirectional mine with a dispersible or releasable shaped charge, characterized in that it comprises a stabilization device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.