Patent ID: 7178442

Claim:
A system for launching a flying object from a launch platform comprising: A. a rail assembly comprising: a launch rail fixedly attached to said launch platform, said launch rail having a “T” shaped slot in it; the crossbar of said “T” forms two parallel grooves in said launch rail; and a stopper rigidly attached to the bottom of said “T” shaped slot at the forward end of said slot; B. a hanger assembly comprising: a “T” shaped main body section; the crossbar of said “T” forming two projecting rails that slidingly fit into said grooves in said launch rail; and one or more bolts, at least some of which break when experiencing shearing forces having a magnitude greater than a predetermined value, that are used to attach said main body section either directly or indirectly to said flying object; characterized in that firing an engine of said flying object causes said flying object to move along said launch rail until said main body section impacts upon said stopper; said impact causing at least some of said bolts to break detaching said main body section from said flying object, thereby launching said flying object from said launch platform while leaving said main body section behind in said rail.