Ordnance – Rocket launching – Having tubular guide means
Reexamination Certificate
1998-01-13
2001-05-15
Johnson, Stephen M. (Department: 3641)
Ordnance
Rocket launching
Having tubular guide means
C089S001812, C089S001819
Reexamination Certificate
active
06230604
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to launchers for missiles and, more particularly, to such launchers for missiles which are encapsulated within canisters.
Encapsulating missiles within a canister is desirable because it provides a convenient and safe way to ship, handle and launch the missiles. The prior art canisters were arranged in cells requiring the gases generated by the missile's burning motor to be vented through a common path. This arrangement concentrated stresses and erosion on certain components of the gas management system because such components were subjected to the gases generated by multiple missiles, resulting in a short life for the gas management system as well as frequent and expensive maintenance of such system. The restraint means for the missile, i.e. the means for securing the missile in its associated canister, could fail when the missile was fired. Protection against the hazards associated with such restrained firings was provided in the prior art launchers in the form of a deluge and drain system. Provision for such a system undesirably added to the complexity, cost, maintenance and weight of the launcher. Increased weight is particularly undesirable when the launcher is to be installed aboard a ship. The prior art canisters also required a launching system in which the electronics for the control system located external to the canister were unique to the particular missile in the canister. Consequently, a change in the type of missile within the canister necessitated a change in the control system, making the installation of a new or different missile expensive and delaying the integration of a new missile throughout the fleet.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is a canister launcher which overcomes the above-described problems and limitations associated with the prior art canister launchers, which provides integral gas management (i.e. self-contained management of the products of combustion resulting from burning of the motor in the missile contained in that particular canister), which provides positive release of the missile from the canister upon ignition of the missile's rocket motor, which prevents restrained firing of the missile within the canister, which eliminates the need for a deluge and drain system normally required in canister launchers to reduce the deleterious effects of, and hazards to the ship and its personnel associated with, restrained firing, which provides a launcher of light weight and corrosion resistance, which provides integral shock mitigation for the missile, which permits mounting of the launcher above deck, which is resistant to the wide range of hostile environmental conditions encountered at sea, which provides an open electronics architecture, which is modular and which requires no changes in the control system to deploy a new missile, and which may economically and readily installed in a variety of ship configurations.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2903124 (1959-09-01), Carver
patent: 3158062 (1964-11-01), Feiler
patent: 3769876 (1973-11-01), Haas et al.
patent: 3924511 (1975-12-01), Kendall et al.
patent: 4044648 (1977-08-01), Piesik
patent: 4470336 (1984-09-01), Swann et al.
patent: 4471684 (1984-09-01), Johnson et al.
patent: 4686884 (1987-08-01), Piesik
patent: 5327809 (1994-07-01), Matteson et al.
Anderson Neil
Buehler John D.
Flakne Angela
Ickstadt James M.
Larson Lowell Richard
Johnson Stephen M.
Kamp Ronald C.
United Defense L.P.
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