Projectile launch apparatus for use in fluid environments

Projectile launch apparatus for use in a fluid environment, comprising a launch tube having a closed end and an open end, a supercavitating projectile received between the ends separating the launch tube into a forward section comprising the open end and a rear section comprising the closed end, and gas generation means arranged to provide expulsion gas into the rear section of the launch tube, such that in-use trapped expulsion gases within the rear section generate a pressure increase that acts on the supercavitating projectile to propel the projectile through the open end, wherein the supercavitating projectile comprises a nose section and a tail section, the nose section having a cavitator for generating a gas cavity around the supercavitating projectile when the projectile is launched,

• wherein the projectile launch apparatus further comprises means for bleeding expulsion gas around the projectile from the rear section of the launch tube into the forward section and thereby to the open end, such that in-use, expulsion gases can contribute to a formation of the gas cavity around the supercavitating projectile as the projectile is launched through the open end.