Tank autoloaders
The traditional way of loading tank guns is the supply of shells manually by the forces of an individual crew member. This method of working with a tool has various kinds of shortcomings, which quite a long time ago led to the idea of an automatic loader. Unlike humans, automation can be inscribed in a minimum volume, does not get tired during operation, and thereby simplifies the solution of the combat mission as a whole. The search for the most effective solutions in the past led to the emergence of several basic types of automatic loaders, differing from each other in layout, as well as in the ways of placing and delivering ammunition.
Drum machine
The first carrier of the automatic loader is the French light tank AMX 13, developed shortly after the end of the Second World War. This machine was equipped with a so-called. swinging tower, which was originally installed 75-mm rifled gun. In order to increase the rate of fire and reduce the load on the crew, the tower of the original design was equipped with an automatic loader. In the future, the tank was being upgraded, which included the installation of new guns, but the design of the automatic loader did not change.
Drum automatic loader light tank AMX 13. Figure Wikimedia Commons
In the AMX 13 project, a drum automaton was used. Two horizontal drums with six cells under a unitary projectile each were placed in the turret feed unit. The operation of the automatic loading was provided by the energy of the recoil of the gun. When the barrel was moved, special mechanisms forced the drums to rotate, feeding a new projectile to the discharging line, and also sent ammunition to the chamber. After the shot was carried out automatic ejection sleeve.
The drum automatic loader of the type used on the AMX 13 was subsequently used in several other armored vehicle projects. Some of these tanks were built serially, while others could not get off the drawings or go beyond the landfills. With the advent of more advanced designs, the drum system was abandoned.
Upgrade option MBT M1 Abrams using two drums. Picture "Abrams: A History of American Main Battle Tank"
A drum-type machine has a specific ratio of pros and cons limiting its use. In fact, the drum has only one advantage: it can replace the loader. At the same time such packing irrational uses the internal volumes of the tank. The drum occupies a space that could be given to a significant number of additional shots by their different placement.
Belt conveyor
Much more effective in terms of the use of space is the automatic loader with ammunition based on a belt conveyor. Such devices were worked out since the fifties, and later found use in a number of projects, both experimental and serial. The most well-known carriers of tape-laying machines are the US-German tank MBT-70, the French Leclerc and the Japanese Type 90.
This concept provides for the placement of stacking ammunition in the developed aft niche of the tower. Instead of traditional shelving, there is a movable conveyor belt with cartridges for shells. At the command of the crew, the conveyor should bring the projectile of the desired type to the feed window, after which the disillation mechanism pushes it into the fighting compartment and sends it to the chamber. After the shot, other elements of automation should remove and throw away the sleeve or fireproof tray.
Belt conveyor tank Leclerc in position to feed the shot. Photo by Aw.my.com
Belt conveyor has several major advantages. First of all, such a construction of mechanisms is optimal for unitary shots of large calibers. It also allows for maximum isolation of ammunition from the crew, dividing them with an armored partition. In this case, the projectile is supplied to the gun through the hatch of the minimum required dimensions. In the past, draft towers were offered with a replaceable aft niche, facilitating the replenishment of ammunition and dramatically reducing the time required for this. For example, in one of the versions of the Swedish project UDES 14 at the stern of the hull it was proposed to transport a replaceable niche of the tower with additional ammunition.
However, the belt conveyor in the feed niche has significant drawbacks. The main one is the direct connection between the size of the ammunition and the dimensions of the niche: the customer and the designer have to look for a reasonable compromise between a compact and lightweight design and a large ammunition load. Stern stowage under relatively thin armor, typical of tanks of the past, adversely affects the combat stability and survivability of the tank. The only successful hit of a missile or projectile can leave a tank, at least, without ammunition.
The same unit, rear view. Photo by Aw.my.com
The automatic loader with a belt conveyor in the aft niche of the tower is considered by foreign experts to be perhaps the most successful. In this regard, such devices are used on a number of samples of modern armored vehicles, and they are not yet planned to be removed from service. Also developed and developed new designs of tanks with aft laying tower. According to some information, just such an automatic loader could be used on the promising Russian tank “Object 195”.
Carousel conveyor
Since the sixties of the last century, Soviet and Russian projects of the main tanks use automatic loaders from the so-called. carousel conveyor. The first such equipment received T-64. Subsequently, similar devices with these or other differences appeared on the T-72 and T-80 tanks (in his case, they were called the “loading mechanism”). According to some reports, the carousel is also used on the newest T-14 tank. Similar systems were also developed for some foreign samples.
Tape automatic loader tank MBT-70. Picture "Abrams: A History of American Main Battle Tank"
The carousel is a rotary device with ammunition cartridges placed under the polycom of the fighting compartment. With its own drives, it can rotate, bringing the projectile of the desired type to the elevator. The shot, along with the cassette, rises to the filing line, after which the rammer is activated. In domestic projects, cassettes of two parts are used, containing shots of a separate-cartridge loading. On T-64 cassettes and components of the shot were placed L-shaped: the projectile was placed horizontally, the sleeve - vertically. On the T-72 and T-90 tanks, more advanced conveyors with horizontal liner storage were used. In foreign projects, carousel conveyors for tanks were developed for unitary projectiles. In this regard, the ammunition was placed strictly vertically, around the habitable part of the fighting compartment.
The automatic machine with carousel styling takes up minimal space and also has an optimal weight. Its ammunition is located above the bottom of the hull, in the maximum safe area. The carousel provides quick selection and delivery of the shot of the desired type and gives the desired rate of fire.
Scheme of the automatic loading tanks T-72 and T-90. Figure Mil.ru
At the same time, there are certain disadvantages. Almost in all projects the carousel conveyor is not separated from the habitable compartment by armor, which leads to risks for the crew. The dimensions of the ready-to-use ammunition are directly related to the dimensions of the carousel, as well as the available volume of the body. The design of cassettes and related equipment may impose restrictions on the allowable length of the projectiles, excluding the use of promising samples.
Automatic loaders with carousel conveyors are used on all Soviet and Russian tanks of the last decades. This equipment is well proven, but not without complaints. Nevertheless, tanks with such equipment remain in service and will form the basis of armored divisions of Russia and other countries for a long time.
Alternative options
At one time, Swedish engineers made a significant contribution to the development of automatic loaders. In a number of their projects, they proposed and worked on alternative versions of automatic loaders of one kind or another. However, far from all such constructions have come to verification in practice, and only one was in mass production.
T-90 tank in section. The location of the carousel conveyor is clearly visible. Figure Btvt.info
The medium tank Strv 103 received not only a rigidly fixed gun, but also a specific automatic loader. In the aft part of the hull, there were three compartments for placing 50 ammunition sets of unitary shots of the 105 caliber. The automatic loader is structurally divided into two devices: the feed mechanism and the discharging mechanism. The first is responsible for raising ammunition to the line of unloading, the second sends them to the chamber. The proposed design of the machine provided a favorable combination of small size, large ammunition and speed of work.
Of great interest are the experimental Swedish projects, which provided for the division of the automatic loader into different elements with their installation in various units of the combat vehicle. First of all, such a separate arrangement was associated with the use of a launcher gun installation - a compact device, taken outside the hull. In such an installation it was impossible to place the ammunition, because of which it was necessary to work out the issue of transferring shells from the hull to the delivered gun.
As part of the UDES 19 project, two technology demonstrators equipped with interesting reloading tools were built and tested. It was suggested to transfer the projectile from under the armor to the gun using a cassette on a rocking base. However, for some time he remained outside the protected volumes. This dramatically reduced the safety of work, and also led to unjustified risks.
An experimental model based on the Strv 103 tank, equipped with a gun mount and a special automatic loader. Photo Ointres.se
In the course of the next project, UDES XX 20, which envisaged the creation of a tank of an articulated scheme, several layouts of weapons and automatic loading were considered. In particular, it was proposed to install a gun mount on the front link of the tank, and place the drum or conveyor belt in the back. This allowed us to allocate the maximum possible amount of shells, but it required special means of transportation to transfer shots to the gun. A movable conveyor enclosed between two hulls, as well as some other structures, was proposed. Fully assigned tasks could not be solved.
Charging or automatics
As is known, automatic loaders and a manual method of reloading an instrument have both advantages and disadvantages. Automatics of all types can increase the rate of fire, reduce the required volumes inside the armored hull and turret, without any problems prepare to shoot while moving, etc. The tanker-loader, in turn, makes it possible not to complicate the design of the combat vehicle, is able to extract shots from any layouts throughout the available volume, can participate in the maintenance of equipment, etc.
In our country many years ago, it was decided that the advantages of automatic loading are more useful than the strengths of the loaders, and this had a certain influence on the further development of domestic armored vehicles. There is no consensus abroad on this score. Some foreign tanks retain the crew with loader, while others are equipped with automatic. With all this, from time to time attempts have been made to abandon the existing approaches in favor of the opposite.
Obviously, automatic loaders have long and firmly taken their place in the field of armored vehicles. Such equipment is used not only on tanks, but also on combat vehicles of other classes, where it can also realize its advantages. It is possible that in the future the number of new projects with automatic loaders will increase, but manual loading is not worth writing off. Both principles of preparation for a shot have their advantages, and among the military there is still no consensus about the unequivocal superiority of a particular method. Will the loaders in the future be able to win the final victory - time will tell.
Based on:
http://mil.ru/
http://otvaga2004.ru/
http://btvt.narod.ru/
http://tanks-encyclopedia.com/
http://ftr.wot-news.com/
http://ointres.se/
Hunnicutt, RP Abrams: A History of the American Main Battle Tank (Vol. 2). Navato, CA: Presidio Press, 1990.
Drum machine
The first carrier of the automatic loader is the French light tank AMX 13, developed shortly after the end of the Second World War. This machine was equipped with a so-called. swinging tower, which was originally installed 75-mm rifled gun. In order to increase the rate of fire and reduce the load on the crew, the tower of the original design was equipped with an automatic loader. In the future, the tank was being upgraded, which included the installation of new guns, but the design of the automatic loader did not change.
Drum automatic loader light tank AMX 13. Figure Wikimedia Commons
In the AMX 13 project, a drum automaton was used. Two horizontal drums with six cells under a unitary projectile each were placed in the turret feed unit. The operation of the automatic loading was provided by the energy of the recoil of the gun. When the barrel was moved, special mechanisms forced the drums to rotate, feeding a new projectile to the discharging line, and also sent ammunition to the chamber. After the shot was carried out automatic ejection sleeve.
The drum automatic loader of the type used on the AMX 13 was subsequently used in several other armored vehicle projects. Some of these tanks were built serially, while others could not get off the drawings or go beyond the landfills. With the advent of more advanced designs, the drum system was abandoned.
Upgrade option MBT M1 Abrams using two drums. Picture "Abrams: A History of American Main Battle Tank"
A drum-type machine has a specific ratio of pros and cons limiting its use. In fact, the drum has only one advantage: it can replace the loader. At the same time such packing irrational uses the internal volumes of the tank. The drum occupies a space that could be given to a significant number of additional shots by their different placement.
Belt conveyor
Much more effective in terms of the use of space is the automatic loader with ammunition based on a belt conveyor. Such devices were worked out since the fifties, and later found use in a number of projects, both experimental and serial. The most well-known carriers of tape-laying machines are the US-German tank MBT-70, the French Leclerc and the Japanese Type 90.
This concept provides for the placement of stacking ammunition in the developed aft niche of the tower. Instead of traditional shelving, there is a movable conveyor belt with cartridges for shells. At the command of the crew, the conveyor should bring the projectile of the desired type to the feed window, after which the disillation mechanism pushes it into the fighting compartment and sends it to the chamber. After the shot, other elements of automation should remove and throw away the sleeve or fireproof tray.
Belt conveyor tank Leclerc in position to feed the shot. Photo by Aw.my.com
Belt conveyor has several major advantages. First of all, such a construction of mechanisms is optimal for unitary shots of large calibers. It also allows for maximum isolation of ammunition from the crew, dividing them with an armored partition. In this case, the projectile is supplied to the gun through the hatch of the minimum required dimensions. In the past, draft towers were offered with a replaceable aft niche, facilitating the replenishment of ammunition and dramatically reducing the time required for this. For example, in one of the versions of the Swedish project UDES 14 at the stern of the hull it was proposed to transport a replaceable niche of the tower with additional ammunition.
However, the belt conveyor in the feed niche has significant drawbacks. The main one is the direct connection between the size of the ammunition and the dimensions of the niche: the customer and the designer have to look for a reasonable compromise between a compact and lightweight design and a large ammunition load. Stern stowage under relatively thin armor, typical of tanks of the past, adversely affects the combat stability and survivability of the tank. The only successful hit of a missile or projectile can leave a tank, at least, without ammunition.
The same unit, rear view. Photo by Aw.my.com
The automatic loader with a belt conveyor in the aft niche of the tower is considered by foreign experts to be perhaps the most successful. In this regard, such devices are used on a number of samples of modern armored vehicles, and they are not yet planned to be removed from service. Also developed and developed new designs of tanks with aft laying tower. According to some information, just such an automatic loader could be used on the promising Russian tank “Object 195”.
Carousel conveyor
Since the sixties of the last century, Soviet and Russian projects of the main tanks use automatic loaders from the so-called. carousel conveyor. The first such equipment received T-64. Subsequently, similar devices with these or other differences appeared on the T-72 and T-80 tanks (in his case, they were called the “loading mechanism”). According to some reports, the carousel is also used on the newest T-14 tank. Similar systems were also developed for some foreign samples.
Tape automatic loader tank MBT-70. Picture "Abrams: A History of American Main Battle Tank"
The carousel is a rotary device with ammunition cartridges placed under the polycom of the fighting compartment. With its own drives, it can rotate, bringing the projectile of the desired type to the elevator. The shot, along with the cassette, rises to the filing line, after which the rammer is activated. In domestic projects, cassettes of two parts are used, containing shots of a separate-cartridge loading. On T-64 cassettes and components of the shot were placed L-shaped: the projectile was placed horizontally, the sleeve - vertically. On the T-72 and T-90 tanks, more advanced conveyors with horizontal liner storage were used. In foreign projects, carousel conveyors for tanks were developed for unitary projectiles. In this regard, the ammunition was placed strictly vertically, around the habitable part of the fighting compartment.
The automatic machine with carousel styling takes up minimal space and also has an optimal weight. Its ammunition is located above the bottom of the hull, in the maximum safe area. The carousel provides quick selection and delivery of the shot of the desired type and gives the desired rate of fire.
Scheme of the automatic loading tanks T-72 and T-90. Figure Mil.ru
At the same time, there are certain disadvantages. Almost in all projects the carousel conveyor is not separated from the habitable compartment by armor, which leads to risks for the crew. The dimensions of the ready-to-use ammunition are directly related to the dimensions of the carousel, as well as the available volume of the body. The design of cassettes and related equipment may impose restrictions on the allowable length of the projectiles, excluding the use of promising samples.
Automatic loaders with carousel conveyors are used on all Soviet and Russian tanks of the last decades. This equipment is well proven, but not without complaints. Nevertheless, tanks with such equipment remain in service and will form the basis of armored divisions of Russia and other countries for a long time.
Alternative options
At one time, Swedish engineers made a significant contribution to the development of automatic loaders. In a number of their projects, they proposed and worked on alternative versions of automatic loaders of one kind or another. However, far from all such constructions have come to verification in practice, and only one was in mass production.
T-90 tank in section. The location of the carousel conveyor is clearly visible. Figure Btvt.info
The medium tank Strv 103 received not only a rigidly fixed gun, but also a specific automatic loader. In the aft part of the hull, there were three compartments for placing 50 ammunition sets of unitary shots of the 105 caliber. The automatic loader is structurally divided into two devices: the feed mechanism and the discharging mechanism. The first is responsible for raising ammunition to the line of unloading, the second sends them to the chamber. The proposed design of the machine provided a favorable combination of small size, large ammunition and speed of work.
Of great interest are the experimental Swedish projects, which provided for the division of the automatic loader into different elements with their installation in various units of the combat vehicle. First of all, such a separate arrangement was associated with the use of a launcher gun installation - a compact device, taken outside the hull. In such an installation it was impossible to place the ammunition, because of which it was necessary to work out the issue of transferring shells from the hull to the delivered gun.
As part of the UDES 19 project, two technology demonstrators equipped with interesting reloading tools were built and tested. It was suggested to transfer the projectile from under the armor to the gun using a cassette on a rocking base. However, for some time he remained outside the protected volumes. This dramatically reduced the safety of work, and also led to unjustified risks.
An experimental model based on the Strv 103 tank, equipped with a gun mount and a special automatic loader. Photo Ointres.se
In the course of the next project, UDES XX 20, which envisaged the creation of a tank of an articulated scheme, several layouts of weapons and automatic loading were considered. In particular, it was proposed to install a gun mount on the front link of the tank, and place the drum or conveyor belt in the back. This allowed us to allocate the maximum possible amount of shells, but it required special means of transportation to transfer shots to the gun. A movable conveyor enclosed between two hulls, as well as some other structures, was proposed. Fully assigned tasks could not be solved.
Charging or automatics
As is known, automatic loaders and a manual method of reloading an instrument have both advantages and disadvantages. Automatics of all types can increase the rate of fire, reduce the required volumes inside the armored hull and turret, without any problems prepare to shoot while moving, etc. The tanker-loader, in turn, makes it possible not to complicate the design of the combat vehicle, is able to extract shots from any layouts throughout the available volume, can participate in the maintenance of equipment, etc.
In our country many years ago, it was decided that the advantages of automatic loading are more useful than the strengths of the loaders, and this had a certain influence on the further development of domestic armored vehicles. There is no consensus abroad on this score. Some foreign tanks retain the crew with loader, while others are equipped with automatic. With all this, from time to time attempts have been made to abandon the existing approaches in favor of the opposite.
Obviously, automatic loaders have long and firmly taken their place in the field of armored vehicles. Such equipment is used not only on tanks, but also on combat vehicles of other classes, where it can also realize its advantages. It is possible that in the future the number of new projects with automatic loaders will increase, but manual loading is not worth writing off. Both principles of preparation for a shot have their advantages, and among the military there is still no consensus about the unequivocal superiority of a particular method. Will the loaders in the future be able to win the final victory - time will tell.
Based on:
http://mil.ru/
http://otvaga2004.ru/
http://btvt.narod.ru/
http://tanks-encyclopedia.com/
http://ftr.wot-news.com/
http://ointres.se/
Hunnicutt, RP Abrams: A History of the American Main Battle Tank (Vol. 2). Navato, CA: Presidio Press, 1990.
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