Patent ID: 9605932
Date: 2017-03-28
CPC Classifications: F41A,F41F,F42B

Claim:
1. A method of launching a projectile, the method comprising: positioning a gas generator within a launch tube; placing the projectile in the launch tube proximate the gas generator; igniting a propellant with an initiator disposed in a first plenum of a housing of the gas generator; combusting at least a portion of the propellant to form a gas; flowing the gas through a first plurality of apertures formed in the housing surrounding the first plenum in a first direction to a second plenum at least partially laterally surrounding the first plenum and the first plurality of apertures; flowing the gas through a second plurality of apertures formed in the housing in a second direction that is transverse to the first direction to form a plurality of propulsive jets exiting from the housing; imparting an initial velocity to the projectile responsive to contact thereof by the plurality of propulsive jets exiting from the housing; and launching the projectile from the launch tube with the plurality of propulsive jets produced by the gas generator.