Patent ID: 7562843

Claim:
A catapult for launching an unmanned aircraft, the catapult comprising: an elongated body, a launching position being provided on a portion of a first end thereof, and a releasing position being provided on a portion of a second end thereof, a carriage movable from the launching position to the releasing position and back, and the carriage comprising fastening members for supporting the aircraft, a launching device configured to generate a launching force for accelerating the carriage in a launching direction from the launching position to the releasing position, at least one locking device for keeping the carriage at the launching position and for releasing the carriage at a launching moment, and at least one takeoff damper connected to the locking device by means of a joint and to generate a damping force having a direction that is opposite relative to the launching force, the damping force being arranged to restrict the acceleration of the carriage at the launching moment, wherein the damping force is at its maximum at the launching moment and the damping force is arranged to decrease to zero after the carriage has moved a damping distance of a predetermined magnitude in the launching direction.