Method and apparatus for covering a target area with ammunition

DETAILED DESCRIPTION It is an object of the invention to make available a method of the above-mentioned type in which, in addition to sufficient areal coverage, sufficient effectiveness of each individual active body is assured even when dropped from low altitudes.
The above object is accomplished according to the invention in a method of the type described above including the additional steps of moving the container toward the target at a given height; and releasing the active units from the container such that each of the active units rotates about an axis oriented toward the target area and essentially transverse to the direction of release, and such that the velocity of the container at the moment of release and the rate of release of the respective active units is added vectorially.
Advantageously, the inventive teachings defined in the other method claims are directed toward a substantially reduced risk inherent in a respective carrier aircraft on a direct approach to the target area.
Further advantages become evident from the teachings defined in the claims directed to the apparatus.
The invention will be explained in greater detail below with the aid of the drawings in which details not significant for the invention have been omitted and which are essentially schematic representations showing three embodiments of a container, different further means and details as well as nine embodiments of active units according to the invention and an overview sketch to clarify the effect of the invention when in use.