US Government As Represented by the Secretary of the Army

John A Condon

Michael S Hollis

David H Lyon

Timothy L Brosseau

Christian A Valledor

Michael L Nair

A fin retention system having a plurality of fin retention units and in which each unit is associated with one deployable fin of the projectile. Each retention unit has an alignment device and a pair of span arms extending outwardly from opposite sides of the alignment device. An attachment device attaches the free ends of the span arms of adjacent fin retention units together. In doing so, the alignment device engages and holds each fin in its undeployed position.

Retention system for a deployable projectile fin

A launcher system and method for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), wherein the launcher system comprises a barrel comprising a prepackaged internal pusher cup configured behind the UAV housed within the barrel; an expansion chamber operatively connected around the barrel, wherein the barrel extends out of a first end of the expansion chamber; a muzzle adapter operatively connected to a second end of the expansion chamber, wherein the first end of the expansion chamber is positioned opposite to the second end of the expansion chamber; a rifle slip-fitted to the muzzle adapter; and a stand operatively connected to the expansion chamber, wherein a triggering of the rifle causes the internal pusher cup to push the UAV out of the barrel at a predetermined launch velocity in order to attain a predetermined self-propelled flight trajectory.

Rifle launcher for small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)

The launching of an unmanned projectile includes pre-packaging a barrel with a projectile, a pusher cup, and a gas generator. The gas generator generates gas to propel the projectile out of the barrel. A pressure chamber increases a pressure of the gas in the barrel. The pressure chamber comprises a front body portion connected to the gas generator; an aft body portion connected to the front body portion and the gas generator; and a vent sleeve positioned around the front body portion and adapted to provide an aperture through which the gas exits the barrel in order to control a level of gas pressure in the barrel. A triggering of the gas generator causes the pusher cup to push the projectile out of the barrel at a predetermined launch velocity in order to attain a predetermined self-propelled flight trajectory, wherein the triggering causes the pusher cup to exit the barrel.

Gas generator launcher for small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)

A disk-shaped projectile can be launched in a variety of orientations incing face-on and edge-on orientations. The launcher includes two spinning disks for receiving the projectile between them and imparting a force to the projectile. The angle between the axes of the disks can be set to zero or a non-zero value. The angle and the spin rates of the disks control the linear velocity and the spin rate of the projectile.

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Timonium, MD, United States of America

John A Condon