ADVANCED GUN AND AMMUNITION CONCEPT

RAPID FIRE HIGH VELOCITY AIRCRAFT GUN SYSTEMS HAVE MATURED TO THE POINT WHERE ONLY MARGINAL IMPROVEMENTS IN SYSTEM EFFECTIVENESS, WEIGHT REDUCTION, VOLUME REDUCTION, AND COST EFFECTIVENESS APPEAR ATTAINABLE. MOST OF THESE SYSTEMS ARE EXTERNALLY POWERED GATLING GUNS FIRING METALLIC CASED AMMUNITION, AND THESE COMPONENTS HAVE BENEFITED FROM OVER TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OF DESIGN REFINEMENTS AND MATERIAL IMPROVEMENTS. MOST RECENT EFFORTS HAVE CENTERED ON AMMUNITION PERFORMANCE. THESE HAVE YIELDED IMPROVED PROJECTILE DESIGNS SUCH AS HARD CORE PENETRATORS, MULTI-PURPOSE EXPLOSIVE WARHEADS, AND DEVELOPMENT OF FULLY TELESCOPED COMPACTED CHARGE HIGH VELOCITY AMMUNITION. GUN SYSTEMS SHOULD STILL PLAY A MAJOR ROLL IN FUTURE AIRCRAFT BECAUSE OF THEIR RELIABILITY AND COST EFFECTIVENESS, AND THEREFORE THERE WILL BE A NEED NOT ONLY FOR IMPROVED AMMUNITION, BUT SIMPLER AND LIGHTER HIGH PERFORMANCE GUN MECHANISMS AS WELL. TROUND INTERNATIONAL PROPOSES TO DEVELOP A 20MM GUN SYSTEM BASED UPON ITS UNIQUE OPEN-CHAMBER TM DESIGN WHEREIN A SIMPLE ROTARY MECHANISM WITH A RELATIVELY SMALL NUMBER OF MOVING PARTS REPLACES THE COMPLEX RECIPROCATING ONE USED IN ALL CONVENTIONAL GUNS. TROUND WILL DEMONSTRATE IN PHASE I THE ABILITY TO MEET ALL THE STATED REQUIREMENTS FOR THIS WEAPON SYSTEM INCLUDING THE USE OF AN ALL PLASTIC CARTRIDGE CASE WITH INSENSITVE MUNITIONS CHARACTERISTICS.