Patent ID: 7475626

Claim:
A device for feeding propellant charges to a heavy weapon, comprising: at least one propellant charge magazine embodied as a fixed magazine and having guides, wherein propellant charge modules are adapted to be disposed in said guides such that their longitudinal axes extend horizontally, wherein a prescribed number of propellant charge modules are adapted to be disposed axially successively in each of said guides, and wherein a prescribed number of said guides are disposed parallel to one another and in horizontal planes above one another; a propellant charge feed mechanism adapted to remove propellant charges from said at least one propellant charge magazine and transfer them to a propellant charge transfer arm that is provided with a propellant charge feed tray that is adapted to be pivoted into a region behind the weapon, wherein said propellant charge feed mechanism includes an automatic propellant charge feed mechanism that is disposed adjacent to said at least one propellant charge magazine and has a propellant charge chain that is driven in a circulating manner in a vertical plane, wherein said propellant charge chain is provided with receiving elements adapted to receive at least one propellant charge module and with means for transferring said propellant charge modules from said guides of said at least one propellant charge magazine into said receiving elements of said propellant charge chain, wherein said receiving elements of said propellant charge chain are embodied as open trays, wherein said propellant charge chain is composed of chain links, each of which, in the region of an end of a tray, is provided with a retaining clip composed of two circular ring segments that contact one another and are interconnected at the point of contact, and wherein one of said circular ring segments extends around the tray of this chain link at a closed side while the other of said circular ring segments extends about a tray of an adjacent chain link on an open side; a portioning unit disposed at a removal position at an upper end of said propellant charge chain and axially relative to a respectively uppermost one of said receiving elements, wherein said portioning unit is provided with means for transferring and joining a prescribed number of said propellant charge modules; and means for transferring joined propellant charge modules from said portioning unit ( 5 ) to said propellant charge feed tray.