Raytheon Company

Rick Williams

Chris Eugene Geswender

An obturator can be secured to a projectile to be launched from within a launch tube. The obturator cooperates with the projectile to seal a pressurized gas within the launch tube during launch. The obturator has a plurality of segments that combine to form a ring. Each segment has connecting features that cooperate with corresponding connecting features of an adjacent segment to hold the segments together by restricting relative circumferential movement, without restricting radially outward movement of individual segments. Preferably, each segment is identical, making it easier to repair and assemble the obturator. Upon launch, the obturator segments can move radially outwardly to separate into relatively small, uniformly-sized pieces.

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Tucson, AZ, United States of America

Rick Williams