Optico-Mechanical Device for Shooting Weapon and Shooting Weapon Comprising the Optico-Mechanical Device

This invention relates to weapons, more specifically, shooting weapons, and can be used for law enforcement actions, counter- terrorism actions as well as for military actions aimed at the destruction or disabling of enemy personnel.

The device disclosed herein is an optico-mechanical device for video observation and, if necessary, using shooting weapons for shooting from behind a corner or from a shelter.

This device is intended for use in buildings, structures, railway cars, buses, airplanes and boats. The effective range of action is up to 20 m.

The device disclosed herein can be used for operation in the range of action of noise jammers (radio suppression), and in that case the reliability of its operation can be increased by using, instead of a radio channel, of a cable connecting a monitor installed on the universal buttstock and a screen located at a distance of up to 30 m.

Known are (Yu.F. Katorin et al., Universal and Paradoxical Military Equipment. Moscow, Polygon, 2004, pp. 569-575) shooting weapons comprising curved-barrel attachments for standard shooting weapon barrels. Furthermore, they could additionally comprise periscope, mirror or prism type rear sights.

However, shooting from shooting weapons with curved- barrel attachments installed required special skills that differed from the conventional shooting weapons operation methods. Furthermore, curved-barrel attachments had short lifetime due to the damage by bullets in the curved bullet flight areas.

Known is (RU Patent 41131) a design of a missile weapon for shooting at a shooter-invisible target and comprising a buttstock, a projectile positioning unit, a projectile acceleration device and a guide surface for setting the initial projectile flight direction. Furthermore, said design additionally comprises a support attached at an angle to the buttstock and a target tracking and targeting device wherein said projectile acceleration device is remote controlled.

In fact, said device relates to conventional shooting weapons but is additionally equipped with said support and said remote triggering device. Shooting from this weapon is a complex procedure as it requires simultaneously holding the weapon by said support, targeting, tracking the target and activating said triggering device.

The object of the technical solution disclosed herein is to protect the shooter from response weapon shoots while increasing the comfort of using the weapon for damaging the enemy personnel.

Said object can be achieved by using the optico-mechanical device for the shooting weapon developed herein. Said device comprises an extension unit with an independent power unit, a visualization and targeting unit, a triggering unit and a universal attachment unit for shooting weapons and additional devices. Said extension unit with an independent power unit is a pipe-shaped unit the interior of which allows installing power unit segments and video

camera image transmission devices, wherein one of the ends of said pipe-shaped unit has a removable plug. Said removable plug can be used as a support against the shooter's body for more precision positioning of the shooting weapon equipped with said optico-mechanical device. Said video image transmission device can be connected with the visualization video camera either via a radio channel or via a cable. Said pipe-shaped unit, preferably made from metal, can have a coating preventing said pipe-shaped unit from sliding in the shooter's hands. Said visualization and targeting unit comprises a monitor and a monitor turning bracket installed on said pipe-shaped unit. Preferably, LCD monitors are used, but other monitor types are also possible. The triggering unit is a fork-shaped unit with two handles at both sides. Said fork-shaped unit has an optico-mechanical device switch, an illumination switch, a battery connection jack and a triggering rod. Said switches and connected with the respective units via cables. Said triggering rod has a mechanical connection with the trigger of the shooting weapon. Said universal attachment unit comprises a U-shaped box accommodating a set of video cameras and a universal attachment for the installation of an optical or infrared target illumination source and or a laser pointer, and the surface of said box comprises a shooting weapon attachment device and a triggering control attached to said triggering rod.

Furthermore, said pipe-shaped extension unit can additionally have a belt attachment device for a shooting and transportation belt, wherein said belt attachment device allows 360° rotation of the weapon around the axis passing through the symmetry axis of said extension unit. As an option, said belt attachment device can be a

swivel. Said monitor can additionally have a sight control unit, a cross-sight color adjustment control and a horizontal and vertical sight adjustment unit. Said units are standard. Said shooting weapon attachment unit is preferably in the form of two supports (front and rear stubs) attached to the side surface of said U-shaped box and a retaining plate with an adjustment screw. In this embodiment, the shooting weapon is positioned by placing it tightly between said front and rear stubs and retaining with said retaining plate with an adjustment screw. Said adjustment screw is attached to said box with said screws. After positioning the shooting weapon is located in one plane with said universal attachment unit and attached to it at an angle of about 110° between the barrel axis and the longitudinal axis of said universal unit. This arrangement allows frontal shooting with the axis of said unit being oriented vertically and the weapon positioned in the 'classic' manner, as well as sidewards (right or left) with the axis of said unit being oriented parallel to the ground and the weapon positioned on its side. Said device may have additional devices installed (a floodlight, a laser pointer etc.). Preferably, said device comprises at least 2 video cameras one of which is always used for targeting and the others are used for visualization. If three video cameras are used, the two of them used for visualization are installed with opposite (180°) orientations. As mentioned above, the video cameras are preferably connected to the monitor of said device via a cable. A remote monitor is connected via a radio channel or via a cable if the device is operated in the range of action of noise jammers (radio suppression).

Said visualization and targeting unit the design of which was described above is used for target searching and targeting the weapon installed in said visualization and targeting unit. Preferably, the visualization and targeting unit disclosed herein comprises an LCD visualization monitor installed on a bracket that is in turn attached to said pipe-shaped extension unit and can be moved longitudinally along said pipe-shaped extension unit. For weapon targeting, said monitor has a targeting mark that can be moved across said monitor screen for weapon adjustment. Said targeting mark can be moved across said monitor using resistors installed on said monitor.

Said targeting unit is used for weapon control and triggering, as well as powering said visualization and targeting unit and said target illumination device (floodlight). The design of said triggering device is a fork-shaped unit with two gun handles that additionally comprises an optico-mechanical device switch, an illumination switch and a battery connection jack.

When said device is used, said extension unit, said visualization and targeting unit and said triggering device are installed on the case of said universal attachment unit.

The device disclosed herein is intended for installation on shooting weapons e.g. guns, submachine guns, Tommy-guns, assault rifles and rifle-attached grenade launchers. Trail-spade or tripod type supports are used for weapons weighing more than 2 kg.

The shooting weapon used with said device is installed as described above in said optico-mechanical device and operated for destroying the enemy personnel.

The optico-mechanical device disclosed herein allows aimed shooting from behind a corner to within a 20 m range. The grouping and accuracy of frontal shooting from weapons installed on said optico-mechanical device are almost the same as for standard shooting from shooting weapons. Single shot shooting is recommended for shooting from behind a corner.

The used of the weapon design disclosed herein provide for almost complete protection of the shooter from response fire with almost guaranteed destruction of the enemy.