Air deployable incendiary device

A floating incendiary device adapted to be dropped from an aircraft onto a body of water, self-right and thereafter float in a substantially upright position, for igniting a combustible material on the surface of said body of water, comprising:

• a casing,
• flare means disposed in said casing;
• flotation means associated with said casing to maintain the device in a substantially upright position on the water, wherein the flame of said flare is maintained above said surface;
• deflector means for directing said flame onto said combustible material;
• and
• firing means adapted to be ignited on board said aircraft, including delay fuse means, for igniting said flare after landing and righting of said device on the body of water;
• wherein the center of gravity of said device is sufficiently low so that the device is self-righting.

A floating incendiary device adapted to be dropped from an aircraft onto a body of water, self-right and thereafter float in a substantially upright position, for igniting a spill of combustible liquid on the surface of said body of water, comprising:

• a casing;
• flare means disposed in said casing;
• flotation means associated with said casing to maintain the device in a substantially upright position on the water, wherein the flame of said flare is maintained above said spill;
• deflector means for directing said flame onto said combustible liquid;
• and
• firing means adapted to be ignited on board said aircraft, including delay fuse means, for igniting said flare after landing and righting of the device on said body of water, wherein the center of gravity of said device is sufficiently low so that the device is self-righting, and wherein the heat of said flame is concentrated on a particular area of the combustible liquid for a time sufficient to raise the temperature of the liquid to the fire point of said liquid to produce ignition and self-sustaining combustion of said liquid.

A floating incendiary device adapted to be dropped from an aircraft onto a body of water, self-right and thereafter float in an upright position, for igniting a spill of combustible liquid on the surface of said body of water, comprising

• an open-topped light-weight cylindrical casing;
• flare means disposed in said casing;
• flotation means disposed in said casing to maintain the device in a substantially upright position on the water, wherein the flame of said flare is maintained above said surface;
• deflector means of a suitable flame-proof material in the form of a hemispherical dome structure of substantially the same diameter as said cylindrical casing spaced from said casing in an umbrella-like arrangement to provide a peripheral opening between said casing and said dome structure about the circumference of said dome structure;
• closure means for said open-topped casing, of a suitable fire-proof heat-insulating material having a central opening to provide access for said flare to said deflector means;
• arm means associated with said closure means for rigidly mechanically attaching said deflector means to said casing;
• and
• firing means adapted to be ignited on board said aircraft, including delay fuse means for igniting said flare after landing and righting of the device on said body of water;
• wherein the center of gravity of said device is sufficiently low so that the device is self-righting in the water, and wherein the heat of said flame is directed through said peripheral opening by said dome structure by convection and radiation to concentrate on a circular area of the combustible liquid of a diameter of about 0.6 to 1.0 meters, about the device, for a time sufficient to raise the temperature of the liquid to the fire point to produce ignition and self-sustaining combustion of said liquid.