Missile launcher assembly

A missile launcher assembly for launching a missile from an airborne, shipborne, or ground-installed platform has a carriage mounted for limited forward and rearward movement on a track provided on the platform. The carriage supports the missile in fixed relation to the carriage by hooks having an inclined surface that engage mating surfaces within the missile body and a pivotally mounted restraint pawl that engages a surface within the missile body so as to keep the missile from sliding off the hooks. A camming surface engageable with a pawl-restraining rocker link is located on the platform so that when the missile and carriage are moved forward upon ignition of the missile motor, the front end of the link is cammed downward, forcing its rear end upward and releasing the pawl. The pawl, upon being released, rotates upward out of the missible body, allowing the missible to slide off the hook. The assembly avoids the use of appendages projecting from the missile and of mechanisms for retracting of such appendages, reducing the drag of the free-flying missile and the complexity and weight of retracting mechanisms.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates generally to missile launchers and more particularly 
to apparatus for launching missiles from a rail launcher/platform which 
may be airbore, shipborne, and/or groundbased. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Certain types of missiles are generally guided from support platforms at 
launch by permanent appendages to missiles such as hangers or slides that 
run in rails on a platform. This arrangement provides initial directional 
control for the missile and ensures proper separation between the missile 
and its launch platform during the critical initial phase of launch. The 
missile appendages, however, create unwanted aerodynamic drag, both 
asymetric and otherwise, resulting in reduced range and impaired accuracy 
of the missile. The need for eliminating projecting appendages, and the 
unwanted drag that they produce, from missiles has become increasingly 
important as missile sophistication has increased, and missiles with 
higher speeds, longer range, and greater accuracy are being developed for 
operation at supersonic and hypersonic speeds. Elimination of missile 
appendages, therefore, has become essential. 
Various approaches to providing missile launching systems that avoid the 
use of permanently projecting appendages on the missile are disclosed in 
prior art patents. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,967,529, issued July 6, 1976, to Ingle 
et al., and 4,170,923, issued Oct. 16, 1979, to Kilmer, utilize 
retractable lug assemblies with spring-biased mechanisms that cause a 
projecting lug to be forced into a seating space within the body of the 
missile upon being launched. U.S. Pat. No. 4,392,411, issued July 12, 
1983, to Miakler, discloses a mechanism having guide rails and guide claws 
and a supporting bolt that is retracted into the missile body upon launch 
by means of a spring. While effective in reducing drag, these devices add 
weight to the missile and reduce its efficiency. A launcher assembly 
employing a jettisonable fitting for engaging the guide rail of a launcher 
so as to avoid aerodynamic drag is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,146,670, 
issued Sept. 1, 1964, to Suydam. This presents a disadvantage in that any 
jettisoned fitting at an airborne launch platform can be ingested by the 
aircraft engine(s) or hit other vital parts, resulting in hazardous flight 
conditions. It is desired to provide a missile launcher in which the 
missile is supported without use of projecting appendages or lug 
retracting mechanisms built into the missile. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
This invention is directed to a missile launching assembly comprising a 
fixed platform, a captive carriage slidably mounted on the platform for 
movement within limits from a rearward, missile-engaging position to a 
forward release position, means provided on the carriage for removably 
engaging a missile at cavities within the missile body, and means disposed 
on the platform for releasing the missile engagement means upon forward 
movement of the carriage produced by ignition of the missile motor. In a 
preferred embodiment for an airborne system, the carriage has downwardly 
extending hooks having forward ends with a downwardly and forwardly 
inclined upper surface that is brought into contact with a mating surface 
inside the missile and arranged such that unless the missile is restrained 
from moving forward with respect to the carriage, the missile would slide 
off the hooks and fall downward. Restraint of such movement by the missile 
prior to and after ignition until release from the launcher is provided by 
a pawl pivotally mounted on the carriage and having a lower leg with a 
surface that engages a generally vertical mating surface in a cavity 
within the missile body, blocking forward movement until the pawl is 
pivoted upward out of the missile body by camming action of a rocker arm 
supported by the carriage. The rocker arm has a rear end engageable with 
the upper leg end of the pawl and a forward end engageable with a ramp 
disposed in the path of the carriage at the forward end on restraining 
tracks of the launch platform. Upon ignition of the missile motor, the 
missile and attached carriage slide forward, and at the end of the run the 
forward end of the rocker arm is forced downward by contact with a 
forwardly inclined surface of the ramp, thus pivoting the rearward end of 
the rocker arm upward and out of engagement with the pawl, allowing the 
pawl to rotate out of the missile body. This allows the missile to be 
released by sliding off the hooks. Tracks or guide rails are provided on 
the platform for engagement by the carriage, with the carriage being 
stopped and restrained by means on the platform after release of the 
missile. 
Launch assemblies embodying the invention operate effectively without 
requiring the presence of projecting appendages on the outside of the 
missile surface or mechanisms for retracting lugs or hooks to a position 
within the missile. Instead, the missile is supported at locations within 
cavities inside the missile body, and no projections are involved. 
Aerodynamic drag is avoided, while minimizing requirements for added 
weight or provision of complicated mechanisms within the missile. 
It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a missile launcher 
assembly that avoids the use of missile support appendages projecting 
outward from the missile surface. 
Another object is to provide means for launching a missile from a platform 
that eliminates the need for drag-producing projections on the missile 
surface. 
Yet another object is to provide a missile launcher assembly wherein 
mechanism in the missile for retraction of supporting lugs are not 
required. 
Another object is to provide a missile launcher assembly that minimizes 
requirements for added weight in the missile for supporting its being 
launched. 
Another object is to provide apparatus for controlled self-launching of a 
missile from a rail launcher without use of an ejection system. 
Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the 
following detailed description.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings, a missile 10 is shown supported 
below a launch platform 12, which in turn is fixedly secured to a strut 
portion 14 connected to an airplane (not shown) or any other weapon 
platform. On an airplane, the launcher may be connected underneath the 
wing or at other locations as desired. A slidable carriage having carriage 
portions 16, 16a and disposed between the missile and the launch platform 
supports the missile as shown, releasing it by mechanisms described below 
when the missile and carriage are moved forward upon ignition of the 
missile motor. 
The launcher has a projecting rail 18 (FIG. 3) that extends in front to 
rear direction on the launcher. Rail 18 has side members 20 and 22 spaced 
apart from one another, and longitudinally extending slots 24 and 26 
therein in facing alignment with one another, the slots being rectangular 
or any other suitable shape in cross section and defining bottom surfaces 
28 and 30 that provide tracks on which the carriage rides. Carriage 
portion 16, 16a have outwardly projecting guide claws 32, 34, and 32a, 
34a, respectively, mated with the slots 24 and 26 of rail 18 and having 
surfaces 36 and 38 and surfaces 36a, 38a, respectively, that slide on 
surfaces 28 and 30 of the guide rail. 
As shown in FIGS. 2, 2a, and 4, the missile is removably secured to the 
carriage by means of hooks 40, 43 in carriage portions 16, 16a and a 
restraint pawl 42 in carriage portion 16. At least two hooks in carriage 
portions 16, 16a, and spaced apart along the length of the carriage are 
preferably employed to support the missile, with hook 43 positioned to the 
rear of hook 40,. A link 41 is provided for spacing of the hook assemblies 
51, 53 in carriage portions 16, 16ato match the spacing of missile 
cavities 55 and 57 into which the hooks are deployed. 
The hooks are projectible downward from the carriage, inclined in the 
forward direction and define flat, inclined surfaces 44 and 45 on the top 
side of the forward end thereof that comes into face-to-face contact with 
mating surfaces 46, 48 respectively, of cavities 55 and 57 defined in a 
bulkhead in the missile body. Rearward ends 47, 47a of the hooks are 
pivotally mounted on pins 49, and 49a supported by the carriage. In order 
for the missile to be supported by engagement of the hooks and mating 
surface in the missile body, the carriage and missile body must be locked 
together to prevent the missile from sliding off the hooks. This is 
accomplished by restraint pawl 42 pivotally mounted on the carriage 
portion 16 around pivot pin 50. Pawl 42, when engaged as shown in FIG. 2, 
has a vertically extending surface 52 in flush contact with a mating 
vertical surface 54 of an internal slot defined in a bulkhead in the 
missile. Restraint of the pawl in its engaged position and its 
disengagement upon ignition of the missile are controlled by rocker link 
56 pivotally mounted on pin 58 in the carriage portion 16 above the pawl. 
The rocker link has a transversely extending pin 60 at its rearward end 61 
that engages end 62 of the pawl, preventing surface 52 of the pawl from 
rotating forward until released. Rocker link 56 has a transversely 
extending head 66 that is, until the missile release point is reached, 
engaged in slot 67 (FIG. 3) in projecting rail 18. A downwardly inclined 
ramp surface 64 is provided on rail 18 for engagement with the forward end 
66 of rocker link 56 when the carriage has moved forward to the release 
point after missile ignition. At the release point, forward end 66 of 
rocker link 56 is cammed downward by ramp surface 64, causing its rearward 
end 61 to be pivoted upward, disengaging pin 60 from and freeing pawl 42. 
Missile acceleration forces, until now contained by pawl 42, rotate pawl 
42, allowing the missile to slide forwardly freely, rotating hooks 40, 43 
out of the missile body. The missile is then free to accelerate away from 
the carriage without restraint or uncontrolled directional change as shown 
in FIG. 4. 
The carriage, upon ignition of the missile motor, moves from its rearward 
position as shown in FIG. 2 to a forward position shown in FIG. 4. In 
order to cushion the impact of the carriage upon impacting the platform in 
its forward position, a shock absorber 68 may be connected to the forward 
end of the platform. The shock absorber may comprise a hydraulic or 
pneumatic shock absorber of conventional construction or a reloadable 
shock absorbing cartridge. 
Sway braces stabilizing the missile against lateral movement in flight are 
shown in FIG. 5. The braces may take the form of bolts 94, 96 diagonally 
extending through holes 98, 100 in side portions of carriage portion 16. 
The bolts have enlarged heads 102, 104 engaging the surface of the missile 
from each side so as to restrain it from lateral movement with respect to 
the carriage. Nuts 106, 108 secure the bolts in position. 
A means alternate to that shown in FIG. 5 for stabilizing the missile 
against in-flight movement is shown in FIG. 6. In this embodiment, 
carriage portion 16a is provided with laterally extending arms 110, 112 
that are engageable at their outer ends with radially extending fins 114, 
116 of the missile. The arms ride in slots 118, 120, with mating surfaces 
of the arms engaging surfaces within the slots, securing the missile from 
moving laterally with respect to the carriage prior to ignition. 
The number of hooks mounted on the carriage and the number of slots 
provided in the missile to receive them for operation as described above 
may be varied depending on the length and weight of the missile. In 
general, at least two hooks, spaced along the length of the missile and 
carriage, would be employed. Preferably, only one pawl is employed, 
regardless of the number of hooks, in order to avoid any problems with 
synchronizing the operation of the pawls. 
While the invention is described above in terms of a specific embodiment, 
it is not to be understood as limited thereby but is limited only as 
indicated by the appended claims. In particular, other mechanisms for 
disengaging the missile from the carriage upon forward movement of the 
carriage may be used. In addition, controls and/or safety devices for the 
missile and carriage release may be provided and integrated with the 
ignition command for the missile.