Patent ID: 6250195
Filing Date: 2001-06-26
Classification: B64D

Abstract:
Compact universal apparatus for supporting, lowering and launching weapons from an aircraft weapons bay, comprising a spaced pair of automatically deployable and retractable linkage mechanism members each having a housing which is attachable within a weapons bay, and each containing an extendable and retractable linkage mechanism pair having spaced pairs of forward and aft arms, the upper portions of which are pivotably attached to said housing and the lower portions of which are pivotably attached to an adaptor means for fastening thereto a universal weapon ejector rack unit, said adaptor means comprising a housing having a lower opening for receiving the ejector rack unit for fastening therewithin, and having a spaced pair of forward and aft bearing members on each side of said housing means pivotably attached to the lower portions of the forward and aft arms of each pair of linkage mechanisms at each side of the adaptor unit housing, whereby the adaptor unit is pivotably attached at each side thereof, fore and aft, to the linkage mechanisms of one of the linkage mechanism members, and means associated with each linkage mechanism housing for simultaneously automatically activating both of the linkage mechanism members between retracted position, in which the adaptor unit and an attached ejector rack unit are positioned between the pair of linkage mechanism members, within a weapons bay, and lowered or deployed position in which the linkage mechanism arms of each of the linkage mechanism members are moved into extended position to lower the adaptor unit and an attached ejector rack unit out of and below a weapons bay into launch position for launching of a weapon latched to the ejector rack unit.