US1446000A - Armament for aircraft - Google Patents

Description

I Feb. 26, 1923.

1,446,000. 0. DAVlS. ARMAMENT FOR AIRCRAFT.

FILED NOV. 18, 1920. 4 SHEETSSHEET 1.

g Iya/emfor J UZeZaZZdJaZ Z S, W WMQ Feb. 20, 1923. 1,446,000.

0. DAVIS.

ARMAMENT FOR AIRCRAFT.

FILED NOV. 18, 1920. 4 SHEETS-SHEET 2 & 2.

NR. v

Feb. 20, 1923. 1,446,000.

0. DAVIS. v

ARMAMENT FOR AIRCRAFT.

FILED NOV. 18. 1920. 4 SHEETSSHEET 3 Feb. 20, 1923. 1,446,000.

I c. DAV lS. ARMAMENT FOR AIRCRAFT.

FILED NOV. 18, 1920- 4 SHEETS-SHEET 4- x S J a W. Y CZeZand flax/Z6 Patented Feb. 20(1923.

' UNITED STATES CLELAND DAVIS, OF THE UNITED STATES J N'AVY.

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Y Application filed November 18, 1920. Serial No. 424,979.

To all whom it may cohaem: Be it known that I, CLELAND DAVIS, Commander, vUnited States Navy, a'citizen of the United States, residing at Englewood Clifl's, in the county ofBergen andState of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Armaments for Aircraft; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will en,- able others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make-and use the same.

My present invention relates to improvements in armaments for aircraft, and it is intended to provide an armament which may be quickly applied to or removed from the aircraft, and in which the guns are loaded at a fixed base and arepointed in a predetermined direction relative to the aircraft and are carried in groups without any surplus ammunition, and without the necessity of requiring gun crews to load the guns; all the work of operating the gun being to fire the gun or the battery at the proper time and when pointed in the proper direction.

f To utilize aircraft to mount and operate guns of large calibre two essential characteristics are required: The guns must be of very lightconstruction so that each machine can carry the greatest possible number of the: largest caliber; and the guns must be of a type that gives no recoil on firing. These qualities are to be found, so

far as now known, only in the type of nonrecoil gun disclosed in my Patents Nos. 1,108,715, dated August 25, 1914, 1,108,716, also 'dated'August25, 1914, and entitled, 'Apparatus for firing projectiles from aircraft. I

The effectiveness of gun fire from aircraft is limited by the fact that the speed of the machine makes it difficult to obtain more than one well aimed shot from a single gun during one passage of the machine over a target. Further, to provide gun crews and ammunition for reloading in the air would so greatly increase the weight to be carried that the number of guns in the battery would be reduced; In order to secure the greatest possble volume and con"- centration of fire, I propose tofutilize the weight taken up by gun crews and 1111111111" nition for mounting additional guns andv operate the guns as single firers, the ,ma-

chine to return to basefiring caliber than those shown in Figure 1, eachgun being separately mounted on the fuselage, and one of the guns being shown in axial section; and- Figure 3 shows a biplane provided with a battery mounted in multiple units, each group of 'five guns being suitably secured together and securely attached to the biplane; and Figure 4 shows diagrammatically an arrangement of electric clrcuits for the guns singly, or in groups, or alto ether.

eferring first to Figure 1, A and A indicate the upper and lower wings of an aeroplane having the central float B comprising the fuselage, and the side floats C.

D and D are clamping members secured at opposite sides of the fuselage, and adapted to grip the gun bodies E below the set collars e thereon. These clamping members are closed andlocked by the'bolts F, but

may be conveniently opened for the insertion or removal of the gun body after it has been loaded. The loading of the gun body should preferably be attended to at some fixed base and the guns put in place on the aircraft after being loaded.

For convenience in shifting the individual guns, eyes 6' may be provided to engage suitable hooks or slings (not shown).

, Referring nowto Figure 2, the guns E are connected separately to the sides ofthe 'fusilage. I-have shown in this figure five;

guns securedto one side of the fusilage, and there would obviously be a similar number of guns, not shown, connected to the oppositeside of the fuselage.

These guns are secured in clamping members D similar tothose already described,

whichengage beneath the ribs or collars e on the gun body, asshown, and there being practically no longitudinal thrust on the gun body when the gun is fired, the weight of the gun body taken by the annular ribs or collars 6 will be sufficient to hold the gun firmly in place in the clamping members The gun bodies may be provided with eyes 6 to engage hooks or slings, not shown, for convenience in lifting the gun bodies and removing them from or applying them to the aircraft.

In the construction shown in Figure 3, there are .two groups of five guns, each mounted on each side of the fuselage, and these guns in each group are connected together by clamping tie pieces G, the upper one'or" which is preferably provided with eyes g for engaging lugs or slings for removing the group when desired. Eachgroup is detachably secured to the side of the aircraft by means of suitable brackets H.

All of the guns in each group are loaded at the base and the entire group is then mounted in place on the aircraft, and all of the uns of each group or all the guns of all t e groups may be fired simultaneously if desired. 7 v

A great variety of arrangements for accomplishing such results might be provided, and I do not claim 'in the instant application any special apparatus or arrangement of circuits for accomplishing these results;

but an arrangement of circuits for carrying out this invention is shown diagrammatically in Fig. 4, in which I have shown two groups of guns, four guns in each group and an arrangement whereby any one gun may be fired, or any number in any groups, or all in one group, or some of the guns in one group and some in the other group, or all the guns in both groups may be simultaneously fired.

In Figure 4 the guns of each group are indicated at E. M represents any suitable source of electricity, such as the electric battery, or any electrical generator that may be carried by air craft, and used either for this purposealone or for other purposes as well. The positive pole of this source of electricity is connected tothe main conduc tor N which in turn is connected to the guns in the right hand group by the branch conductors n. The other terminal of the source 'of electricity is connected byv the main N and the branches at to the guns in the other or left hand group. 7 Leading from the firing mechanism'of the respective groups of guns, which is well known in the art, are the return conductors p and p which may be connected, respec-. tively, to the branch conductorsg and g by means of the various switches 1 to 8. The branch conductors g are connected to the main/Q, and the branches 9 are connected to the. main Q which are, respectively, connected to the conductors Q and Q The conductor Q is connected to the switch 9, and the conductor Q is provided with a contact 9 adapted to engage the switch 10. These switches 9 and 10 may be simultaneously operated in any convenient way, as by means of the rod T, having the handle 2, and the switches 9 and 10 are shown as engaging between the pins t and t at each end of the rod T. i

The switches 9 and 10 may be disengaged from these pins and closed separately, or the two switches may be simultaneously closed by moving the rod T to the left, as shown in, Fig. 4. In order to fire the guns singly, close the switches 9 and 10 and leave the switches l to 8 open, then by closing any one or more of theseswitches l to 8 the circuit is closed through the corresponding gun or guns, and these guns may. be electrically fired. s

In order to fire all of the right hand group of guns, or any number of said group, open the switch 9 and close the corresponding switches l to 4-, and then when the switch 9 is closed the desired number of guns of the right hand group may be simultaneously fired. In a similar way, if it is desired tofire the left hand group simultaneously, or more than one of the said group, close the corresponding switches 5 to 8, or as many of them as desired, meantime leaving the switch 10 open, and then close the switch 10, and electric circuits will be completed through the various guns of the left hand group, and such guns as may have their switches 5 to 8 closed will be electrically fired.

If it is desired to simultaneously fire all 'of the guns of both groups, close all the switches 1 to 8, leaving the switches 9 and 10 in the open position as shown in Fig. 4:, and then close the switches 9 and 10, and electric circuits will be completed through all of the guns, and all of the guns may be simultaneously fired.

It'will thus be seen that with this arrangement a single gun of either group may be fired, or as many guns of each group as desired may be simultaneously fired, and at the same time one or all of the'guns of the 'othergroup may be fired if desired, or any one or all of the guns of both groups may be simultaneously fired."

While I have shown two groups only, it will be obvious that any number of groups may be controlled by a similar system of electric circuits.

For convenience of illustration I have shown guns mounted in groups at each side of the aeroplane, but it will be obvious that the guns may be mounted in any other suitable relation with regard to the longitudinal axis of the aeroplane, and I do not mean to limit the invention to the precise arrangement or location of the guns. if

It will be observed that the largest possible number of guns of a given caliber can be mounted and a maximum volume and concentration of fire obtained.

While the invention is primarily intended to apply to aircraft designed and constructed for military or naval use, it is also intended to provide an armament which, may be readily applied to or detached from commercial aircraft with slight additions only to the construction of the same, which additionsmaybe quickly made, and thus a fleet of merchant aircraft can be quickly converted into a powerful fleet of armed aircraft, ready for use for military or naval purposes.

It will. be obvious that various modifications might be made in the herein described devlce, and in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts which could be used without departing from the spirit of my invention; and I do not mean to limit the invention to such details except as particularly pointed out in the claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. An armament for aircraft comprising a plurality of nonrecoil guns and means for detachably connecting said guns when loaded to the aircraft, and for removing stantially as described.

means for detachably same when desired, and means for said guns, substantially as described.

' n armament for aircraft comprising a plurality of groups of nonrecoil guns, means for detachably connecting said guns when loaded to the aircraft, and for removing same when desired, and means for firing said guns, substantially as described.

3. An armament for aircraft comprising a plurality of groups of nonrecoilguns, means for detachably connecting said guns when'loaded to the aircraft, and for removing same when desired, and means for firing said 'guns in groups, substantially as described.

4. An armament for aircraft comprising a plurality of groups of nonrecoil guns, means for detachably connecting said guns when loaded to the aircraft, and for remov firing ing same when desired, and means for simultaneously firing said guns in groups, sub- 5. An armament for aircraft comprising a plurality of groups of..nonrecoil guns, connecting group unlts of said guns when loaded to the aircraft,

. and for removing said group units when desired, and means for simultaneously firing said guns scribed.

6. An armament for aircraft comprising a plurality of groups of nonrecoil guns, means for detachably connectlng each group of said guns to'the aircraft in in groups, substantially as desubstantially parallel relation to each other, and for removing saine when desired, and means for firmg said guns, substantially as described.

11 armament for aircraft comp-rising a plurality of groupsof nonrecoil guns, means for detachably connecting each group of said guns when loaded to the aircraft in substantially parallel relation to each other, and for removing same when desired, and means for firing said guns in groups, substantially as described.

8. An armament for aircraft comprising a plurality of groups of nonrecoil guns, means for detachably connecting each group of said guns when loaded to the aircraft in substantially parallel relation to each other, and for'removing same when desired, and means forsimultaneously firing said guns scribed. 1 4 9. An armament for aircraft comprising a plurality of groups of nonrecoil guns, the gunsof each group being secured together with their axes substantially parallel, means for detachably connectin group units of said guns when loaded to the aircraft, and for removing said group units when desired. and means for simultaneously firing said guns in groups, substantially as described.

10. An armament for aircraft comprising a plurality of nonrecoil guns, means for detachably mountin said guns when loaded in a fixed axial irection on the aircraft, means for removing same when desired, and means forfiring said "guns,'substantially as described.

11. An armament'for aircraft comprising a plurality of groups of nonrecoil guns, means for detachably mountin said guns when loaded in a fixed axial irection on the aircraft, means for removing same 'when desired, and means far firing said guns, substantially as described.

An armament for aircraft comprising a plurality of groups of nonrecoil guns, means for detachably mounting said guns when loaded in a fixed axial direction on the aircraft, means for removing same when desired, and means for firing said guns in groups, substantially as described.

13. An armament for aircraft comprising a plurality of groups of nonrecoll guns, means for detachably mounting said guns when loaded in afixed axial direction on the aircraft, and forremoving same when deg sired, and means for-simultaneously firing said guns in groups, 'substantlally as described.

14. A. method of aerial warfare which consists in. supplying a heavier than air aircraft with a pluralit of loaded nonrecoil guns rigidly but d etachably mounted thereon and in substantially parallel relation, and firing said guns singly .or in groups.

in groups, substantially as de- 15. A method of aerial warfare which consists in supplying a heavier than air craft with a plurality of loaded 'nonrecoil guns rigidly but detachably mounted thereon, each of said guns hav ng its axis fixed relative to the longitudinal axis of the aircraft, and firing said guns singly or in groups.

16. Afmethod of operating nonrecoil guns from aircraft which consists in attaching 10 loaded guns to said aircraft while at rest, taking the air, firing said guns from the air,

returning to base, removing the discharged guns and replacing them with loaded guns.

OLELAND DAVIS.

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