Patent ID: 6837164

Claim:
An Apparatus comprising: a mortar shell, the mortar shell including a front portion, a middle portion, a tail tube and a fin portion, the fin portion comprising a plurality of fins, the middle portion having a generally decreasing cross-section in an aft direction, the tail tube being of substantially constant cross-section: a plurality of charge increments disposed on the tail tube, the charge increments having a generally horseshoe shape defining an opening therein, the tail tube fitting in the opening in each charge increment; and a protector for the charge increments, the protector comprising: a semi-cylindrical body, the semi-cylindrical body arranged around a bottom and sides of the charge increments; two generally horseshoe shaped end plates attached to a front and rear of the semi-cylindrical body, the end plates defining openings therein, the tail tube fitting in the opening in each end plate, the charge increments being disposed between the two end plates; a wedge-shaped boom attached to the rear end plate, the wedge-shaped boom fitting between two fins on the fin portion; a stop tab attached to a rear end of the wedge-shaped boom, the stop tab extending substantially perpendicular to a narrow side of the wedge-shaped boom to contact an end of the fin portion thereby minimizing longitudinal motion of the charge increments; and a nose cone attached at the front of the semi-cylindrical body, the nose cone defining an opening at its front end, the middle portion of the mortar shell fitting in the opening.