SOFT RECOVERY SYSTEMS FOR GUN-FIRED PROJECTILE COMPONENTS

Abstract

Artillery projectile designers have found an ever increasing need to soft recover prototype hardware and componentry in actual gun firings. Further, as projectile fuzes and guidance systems become more sophisticated, and with the increased use of telemetry and on-board memory systems, the soft recovery technique has become a necessity for the projectile development community. Described herein are parachute soft recovery techniques currently being used by the U.S. Army Armament Research and Development Center (ARDC), Large Caliber Weapon Systems Laboratory, Dover, NJ. In one parachute recovery system, the complete projectile body section is recovered. In another system, the nose-fuze/TM section is recovered. And in a third system, a jettisoned canister, housing electro-mechanical components, is recovered.