Patent ID: 7226016

Claim:
A method of launching a low or non-rotating fin-stabilized artillery shell from a launch weapon, the method comprising: generating propellant powder gases in a barrel of the launch weapon during a launch phase of the low or non-rotating fin-stabilized artillery shell; introducing at least a portion of the propellant powder gases from the barrel into a chamber of the artillery shell during the launch phase, wherein the chamber is arranged at a rear end of the shell to be in communication with a casing which is movable relative to a front portion of the low or non-rotating fin-stabilized artillery shell and which covers at least part of the rear part of the shell situated behind a drive band of the non-rotating fin-stabilized artillery shell; applying a barrel pressure to an external rear portion of the casing so as to maintain a relative position of the casing with respect to the front portion of the low or non-rotating fin-stabilized artillery shell when the low or non-rotating fin-stabilized artillery shell is located inside the barrel during the launch phase; after the low or non-rotating fin-stabilized artillery shell is located outside the barrel of the launch weapon after the launch phase, establishing a differential pressure with respect to an external atmosphere via an outlet in the casing to establish a differential pressure; after the non-rotating fin-stabilized artillery shell has been launched from the launch weapon, removing the casing from the shell by using the differential pressure; deploying fins of the low or non-rotating fin-stabilized artillery shell in response to the removal of the casing; and enabling free rotation of the fins with respect to the front portion of the low or non-rotating fin-stabilized artillery shell about a longitudinal axis of the artillery shell by using a ball bearing assembly arranged around the longitudinal axis.