Apparatus and system for flexible member deployment using sabot cones

A deployment system comprising:

• a vessel configured to navigate in a water environment;
• a deployment apparatus housed in the vessel, the deployment apparatus comprising,
• a tube having a diameter and having an opening into a water environment;
• a flexible member having at least a portion residing within the tube and configured to be deployed into a water environment;
• a stopper plate at the opening of the tube and configured to allow the flexible member to deploy out of the tube;
• and
• at least one deployment stacking unit surrounding the flexible member and distributed along a length of the flexible member, the at least one deployment stacking unit configured to move about the tube;
• and
• an ejection force unit configured to provide an ejection force on the tube to deploy the flexible member,
• wherein the at least one deployment stacking unit is configured to receive the ejection force and, in response, facilitate deployment of the flexible member out of the tube.

A deployment method comprising:

• generating an ejection force on a tube housing at least part of a flexible member, the flexible member surrounded by at least one deployment stacking unit that is configured to move about the tube, each of the at least one deployment stacking unit comprising a sabot cone and an array ring;
• receiving, by the at least one deployment stacking unit, the ejection force as the at least one deployment stacking unit traverses the tube;
• deploying, by the at least one deployment stacking unit, the flexible member outside of the tube in response to the ejection force;
• stacking, at a stopper plate at an end of the tube, the sabot cones from each of the at least one deployment stacking unit as each of the sabot cones reaches the end of the tube, the array ring from each of the at least one deployment stacking unit deploying with the flexible member;
• and
• generating a complementary force by the array ring from each of the at least one deployment stacking unit interacting with a freestream flow.