June 18, 1946.

J. W. GRIESINGER
ASTERN'ATTACK TOW TARGET

2,402,156
'2 Sheets-Sheet l

Filed May 2'7, 1944

IN VEN TOR.

June 18, 1946.

J. w. GRIESINGER
ASTERN ATTACK TOW TARGET

2,402,156
2 Shets-Sheet 2

Filed May 27, 1944

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INVENTOR.

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Patented June 18, 1946

I

2,402,156
OFFICE

UNITED sTATEs PATENT

2,402,156 _

ASTER-N ATTACK TOW TARGET

,John W; Griesinger, Dayton, Ohio

Application May 27, 1944, Serial No. 537,672

5 was. (01. 273-1053)

(Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as

amended April 30, 1928; 370 O. G._ 757)

1 V

Z
24, the free ends of which are brought together
as at 26 to form a loop to which the line from the

The invention described herein may be manu factured and used by or for the Government for

governmental purposes, without the payment to

me of any royalty thereon. " '

towing plane'may be connected.

Stitched to the surface of the cone ID at the

' This invention relates to aerial gunnery tar gets and particularly to that class of targets which are intended to be attacked While being
towed from vthe stern of an aircraft. 7

base are several layers of fabric 28, the stitch ing being so spaced as to form pockets for the sand bags 38, Fig. 5. It is the circumferential

position of the sand bags 30 with respect to the

cut away portion 20 which determines the offset It is a part of Army gunnery training to attack an aircraft from astern, the trainee, for practice, 10 between the course of the target and that of the

being required to ?re at a towed target from the

rear. To ?re into the rear of an ordinary tow

towing plane.

target, however, is extremely hazardous for the aircraft which is doing the towing, yet hereto

viewed from the rear or apex end.

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view of the cone I0 Here the

perforate cut away panel I8 is angularly spaced

fore no satisfactory device has been provided 15 180 degrees from the sand bag load, which, of course, is drawn to the bottom by gravity. When which obviates this danger. the target, arranged as in Fig. 3, is being towed, It is therefore an object of the invention to pro

vide a tow target which is particularly adapted to lessen this hazard of the towing plane. More

air is forced laterally through the perforate panel I8 and simultaneously spills from the cut

particularly it is an object to so construct the 20 away portion 20, so that the reaction of the air moving laterally in one direction tends to move target that it will take a path which is parallel

to the path of the towing plane but considerably

below it or considerably to the right or to the left of it as may be desired.

the target laterally in the opposite direction,

whereby the target will take a course parallel to, but considerably below that of the towing plane. Other objects and advantages will be evident 25 On the other hand, if the perforate panel I8 is angularly spaced less than 180 degrees from the as the invention is further described with refer bottom to which the sand load gravitates, as for ence to the drawings wherein instance, to the left of top center, as seen in Fig. Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my improved tow 4, the target will ride a course which is below target. ii. but also to the right of the course taken by the Fig. 2 is a front end view of the device. towing plane. Figs. 3 and 4 disclose two of the several ways Other positioning of the perforate panel l8 with in which the device may be loaded toalter its respect to the load position will result in still path with respect to the path of the towing other relative offsets between the towing planes plane. course and the course of the target. Fig. 5 shows one of the sand bags, a plurality of While the weight means 28-30 is carried on the which are employed to determine the path of the convex surface of the cone near the base, it will, device with respect to the towing plane. of course be understood that it may be supported In the drawings, a hollow cone II] comprises a in any convenient position which is eccentric to plurality of sectoral panels I2 joined together by seams Hi, all seams being reinforced by webbing 40 the cone axis, and while the opening 20 is made in the panel I8 adjacent the base, it may be made IS. A single panel I8 has its sides joined to the in any part of the perforated panel I8, or the other panels to complete the cone, the panel I8 panel I 8 may be made of imperforate fabric and being cut away as at 2B for a purpose which the opening 20 made sufficiently larger to com will later appear. Panels I2 are composed in greater part of a 45 pensate for the lack of small perforations, the object being to provide a lateral discharge of air relatively close woven cloth which is substan from the cone which will react and deflect the tially impervious to the passage of air, while the cone oppositely from its normal path beyond entire panel I8 and a small part I9 of each sec the towing plane. Moreover, while the body of toral panel I2 near the apex is made of a rela
tively coarse woven mesh through which air may 50 the target is in the form of a cone, any other suit

pass quite freely. The perimeter of the base of the cone It is reinforced by a heavy cord 22. Attached to the perimeter of the base of the cone In, preferably at the reinforcing of the joints between panels, are a series of bridle lines 55

able shell having the forward end open and the rearward end closed or partly closed will be con

sidered within the scope of the invention.

Having described an embodiment of my inven tion, I claim:

2,402,156

3
1. A tow target, adapted for astern attack,
which comprises a hollow shell open at the for ward end and having at least one lateral open ing in its side wall, means for attaching a tow line to the open end of the shell, and a weight means carried on the shell eccentrically disposed with respect to the shell axis and angularly spaced from said lateral opening. 2. A tow target, adapted for astern attack, which comprises a hollow shell open at the front 10
end and having at least one lateral opening in the .

4
and the side wall made up of a plurality of tri

angular panels, at least one triangular panel be ing composed of highly perforate material, the
remainder of the triangular panels being com posed of imperforate material except for a small
area at the apex of each triangle which is com

posed of perforate material, means for attach

ving a tow line to the open base of the cone, and a weight carried on the side wall of the cone near

the base angularly spaced from the perforate

' panel.

side wall, means for attaching a towline to the

front end of the shell, and a weight means car ried on the side wall of the shell near the base

5. A tow target adapted for astern attack,

which comprises a hollow cone with an open base

angularly spaced from the lateral opening. 3. A tow target, adapted for astern attack,
which comprises a hollow conical shell having its side wall made up of a plurality of triangular

and the side wall made up of a plurality of tri angular panels, at least one triangular panel being composed of highly perforate material and having
a portion cut away at the base to provide a rel

panels, at least one of said panels being composed

,of highly perforate material and the remainder ,_

of the panels having a lesser portion perforate, means for attaching a towline to the base of the conical shell, and a weight means carried on the

atively large lateral opening in the cone side wall, the remainder of the triangular panels be ing composed of imperforate material except for
a small area at the apex of each triangle which

shell eccentrically disposed with respect to the shel1 axis and angularly spaced from said per
forate panel. ,

is composed of perforate material, means for attaching a tow line to the base of the cone,
and a weight carried on the side wall of the cone

near the base angularly spaced from the perfo rate panel.

4. A tow target adapted for astern attack,

which comprises a hollow cone with an open base

JOHN W. GRIESINGER.