Disclosed is a cannon including: a barrel having a chamber in which a shell and a propelling charge are mounted; a breech ring connected to the rear of the barrel, and having a shell inlet communicating with the chamber; a recoil buffer disposed on an outer circumferential surface of the barrel, and guiding recoiling and returning motions of the barrel; a breechblock connected to the breech ring, and moving relative to the breech ring between a closed position closing the shell inlet and an open position opening the shell inlet; a laser ignition device including a laser portion disposed in the breechblock and emitting a laser to ignite the propelling charge, and a breech window covering the laser portion and allowing the laser to be transmitted into the chamber; and a breech window cleaning device cleaning the breech window.

A gas gun launcher has a pump tube and a launch tube with a first end of the launch tube slidably inserted into a second end of the pump tube. The pump tube may hold a heat exchanger to heat a light gas used to launch a vehicle. A sliding seal can be employed to manage recoil and to retain the gas within the launch tube and the pump tube. A fast-closing muffler at the second end of the launch tube can conserve the light gas utilized for launching a vehicle, enabling the light gas to be recycled. A launch tube alignment system is preferably automatic, ensuring the survival of the launch vehicle.

A gas gun launcher has a pump tube and a launch tube with a first end of the launch tube slidably inserted into a second end of the pump tube. The pump tube may hold a heat exchanger to heat a light gas used to launch a vehicle. A sliding seal can be employed to manage recoil and to retain the gas within the launch tube and the pump tube. A fast-closing muffler at the second end of the launch tube can conserve the light gas utilized for launching a vehicle, enabling the light gas to be recycled. A launch tube alignment system is preferably automatic, ensuring the survival of the launch vehicle.

A gas gun launcher has a pump tube and a launch tube with a first end of the launch tube slidably inserted into a second end of the pump tube. The pump tube may hold a heat exchanger to heat a light gas used to launch a vehicle. A sliding seal can be employed to manage recoil and to retain the gas within the launch tube and the pump tube. A fast-closing muffler at the second end of the launch tube can conserve the light gas utilized for launching a vehicle, enabling the light gas to be recycled. A launch tube alignment system is preferably automatic, ensuring the survival of the launch vehicle.

A gas gun launcher has a pump tube and a launch tube with a first end of the launch tube slidably inserted into a second end of the pump tube. The pump tube may hold a heat exchanger to heat a light gas used to launch a vehicle. A sliding seal can be employed to manage recoil and to retain the gas within the launch tube and the pump tube. A fast-closing muffler at the second end of the launch tube can conserve the light gas utilized for launching a vehicle, enabling the light gas to be recycled. A launch tube alignment system is preferably automatic, ensuring the survival of the launch vehicle.

This disclosure relates to self-contained cartridges and launcher systems for discharging or launching payloads to downrange targets, and methods of attenuating or offsetting recoil when activating such cartridges. Examples of payloads that can be deployed with the disclosed launcher apparatus include chemical, biological, pyrotechnic, marker, tracer, signaling, non-lethal, explosive, smoke, and similar payloads.

An elastomeric blow pipe dart (10) including: a generally circular body portion (12); a tapered portion (16) extending from the generally circular body portion (12); and a nose (18) having a smaller diameter than the tapered portion (16) and extending from the tapered portion (16) to a tip (20). The blow pipe dart (10) may comprise a soft rubber, and the nose (18) may define an end bore (26) so that air passes through the nose (18) when the dart (10) is launched.

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) launch tube that comprises at least one inner layer of prepreg substrate disposed about a right parallelepiped aperture, at least one outer layer of prepreg substrate disposed about the right parallelepiped aperture, and one or more structural panels disposed between the at least one inner layer of prepreg substrate and the at least one outer layer of prepreg substrate.

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) launch tube that comprises at least one inner layer of prepreg substrate disposed about a right parallelepiped aperture, at least one outer layer of prepreg substrate disposed about the right parallelepiped aperture, and one or more structural panels disposed between the at least one inner layer of prepreg substrate and the at least one outer layer of prepreg substrate.

An air vehicle assembly initialization and ejection system includes a canister configured to contain an air vehicle assembly, where the air vehicle assembly includes an onboard electronic system and at least one squib for ejecting the air vehicle assembly from the canister. The system further includes a magazine having a canister position configured to contain the canister. The system further includes a first signal path providing electrical communication of a first control signal between the canister position and the canister, the first control signal for causing the onboard electronic system to power up, and a second signal path providing electrical communication of a second control signal between the canister position and the canister, the second control signal for causing the at least one squib to detonate.