The present disclosure relates to a launch system, a launch vehicle for use with the launch system, and methods of launching a payload utilizing the launch vehicle and/or the launch system. The disclosure can provide for delivery of the payload at a terrestrial location, an Earth orbital location, or an extraorbital location. The launch vehicle can comprise a payload, a propellant tank, an electrical heater wherein propellant, such as a light gas (e.g., hydrogen) is electrically heated to significantly high temperatures, and an exhaust nozzle from which the heated propellant expands to provide an exhaust velocity of, for example, 7-16 km/sec. The launch vehicle can be utilized with the launch system, which can further comprise a launch tube formed of at least one tube, which can be electrically conductive and which can be combined with at least one insulator tube. An electrical energy source, such as a battery bank and associated inductor, can be provided.

The present disclosure relates to a launch system, a launch vehicle for use with the launch system, and methods of launching a payload utilizing the launch vehicle and/or the launch system. The disclosure can provide for delivery of the payload at a terrestrial location, an Earth orbital location, or an extraorbital location. The launch vehicle can comprise a payload, a propellant tank, an electrical heater wherein propellant, such as a light gas (e.g., hydrogen) is electrically heated to significantly high temperatures, and an exhaust nozzle from which the heated propellant expands to provide an exhaust velocity of, for example, 7-16 km/sec. The launch vehicle can be utilized with the launch system, which can further comprise a launch tube formed of at least one tube, which can be electrically conductive and which can be combined with at least one insulator tube. An electrical energy source, such as a battery bank and associated inductor, can be provided.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a fuse system (22) for a munitions projectile, the system comprising: a first electro-optic transmitter (24); a first electro-optic receiver (30); the first electro-optic transmitter (24) being arranged to receive electrical power, and to use that received electrical power to transmit an optical signal (28) to the first electro-optic receiver (30); the first electro-optic receiver (30) being arranged to receive the optical signal (28), and to use that received optical signal (28) to transmit electrical power to an element (34) of the fuse system (22) connected to the first electro-optic receiver (30).

A system and method are provided for the destruction of electronically stored information and/or components that incorporated sensitive technology or that contain sensitive information upon the occurrence of one or more predetermined events. The system and method of the present invention is particularly suited for the safeguarding of electronically stored information and/or classified technology in systems deployed in an operational environment. The system and method of the present invention be incorporated into drones, full size aircraft, any type of vehicle, mines, missiles, torpedos, bombs, phones, cameras, robots, satellites or other spacecraft, computers, hard drives, thumb drives, switches, routers, bugs, brief cases, safes, and generally any device that utilizes components on which sensitive data is stored or components that utilize technology that should only be accessed by authorized personnel.

A system and method are provided for the destruction of electronically stored information and/or components that incorporated sensitive technology or that contain sensitive information upon the occurrence of one or more predetermined events. The system and method of the present invention is particularly suited for the safeguarding of electronically stored information and/or classified technology in systems deployed in an operational environment. The system and method of the present invention be incorporated into drones, full size aircraft, any type of vehicle, mines, missiles, torpedos, bombs, phones, cameras, robots, satellites or other spacecraft, computers, hard drives, thumb drives, switches, routers, bugs, brief cases, safes, and generally any device that utilizes components on which sensitive data is stored or components that utilize technology that should only be accessed by authorized personnel.

In one embodiment, a squib simulation system includes a processor, sensors, and a firing point. The firing point receives electrical pulse information from a computer. The processor calculates electrical pulse information, including time information and current information. The processor determines a received current and determines whether the current exceeds a predetermined threshold necessary to ignite a squib. Upon a determination that the current exceeds the threshold, the processor determines a firing time that a squib would have fired given the current. The processor records and transfers the information to a user.

In one embodiment, a squib simulation system includes a processor, sensors, and a firing point. The firing point receives electrical pulse information from a computer. The processor calculates electrical pulse information, including time information and current information. The processor determines a received current and determines whether the current exceeds a predetermined threshold necessary to ignite a squib. Upon a determination that the current exceeds the threshold, the processor determines a firing time that a squib would have fired given the current. The processor records and transfers the information to a user.

A method for generating power in a gravity dropped munition, the method including: winding a cable around a drum of a generator associated with the munition; attaching the cable from the generator to a portion of an aircraft; separating the munition from the aircraft to unwind the cable from the drum to release the cable from the drum after a predetermined amount of rotation of the drum; converting the rotation of the drum to energy in a spring as the cable is unwound from the drum; restricting movement of an intermediate member connecting the drum to the generator while the cable is being unwound from the drum; and ending the restricting when the cable is released from the drum allowing the intermediate member to engage the drum with the generator to produce power from the generator.

A powered projectile having a nose portion, a body portion, a tail portion, and a central axis. In various embodiments a collar is rotatably mounted to a control support portion with a plurality of aerodynamic surfaces thereon for despinning the collar. An alternator configured as an axial flux machine with a stator arranged can be axially adjacent to one or more rotors, the stator including a plurality of windings and the one or more rotors each including a plurality of permanent magnets arranged about the face of the respective one or more rotor. In various embodiments the projectile includes an assembly of projectile control circuitry. In one or more embodiments, upon relative motion of the rotor with respect to the stator, magnetic flux from the magnets interacts with the windings of the stator and passes through an air gap between the one or more rotors and stator.

An igniter holding structure includes, an igniter provided with an ignition portion and a conductive pin, a first resin portion provided between the igniter and an attachment portion and holds the igniter such that the ignition portion and a distal end of the conductive pin are located opposite each other, and a second resin portion provided in a circumferential wall portion of the attachment portion and forming a connector insertion portion on an inner side of the circumferential wall portion, the connector insertion portion being a space into which a connector connected to the conductive pin can be inserted and the second resin portion being provided separated from the first resin portion on the inner side of the circumferential wall portion in a manner that an exposed surface, which is made of metal and exposed to the connector insertion portion, is formed in the circumferential wall portion.