Revolving-cylinder jettison device for transporting and releasing buoys on and from aircraft

A buoy jettison device having an ejection passage for transporting and ejecting buoys on and from aircraft, which comprises:

• (a) a revolver cylinder mounted to rotate about a fixed central axis rigid with the aircraft, said revolver cylinder comprising a plurality of angularly spaced tubes disposed on a circle and each adapted to receive one of a long buoy or two short buoys,
• (b) drive means adapted to rotate said revolver cylinder about said central axis and to place the bottom of a selected tube of said revolver cylinder to register with said ejection passage of said device,
• (c) two retaining means associated with each tube of the revolver cylinder and comprising a lower retaining means disposed at the bottom of the tube and adapted to retain one of a long buoy or a lower short buoy and an upper retaining means adapted to retain an upper short buoy, each retaining means comprising a two-armed lever pivoted to the tube and adapted to take one of a working position in which one arm of the lever projects through the tube or a release position in which said lever arm does not project through the tube, spring means to maintain said lever in one of its working position or release position, and control means to selectively release one of the lower or upper retaining means of the tube registering with said ejection passage for jettisoning one of a long buoy or a short buoy,
• (d) two wedging means associated with each tube of the revolver cylinder and comprising an upper wedging means disposed at the top of the tube and adapted to engage one of the top surface of a long buoy or of an upper short buoy and a lower wedging means disposed under the upper retaining means and adapted to engage the top surface of a lower short buoy, each wedging means comprising a lever pivoted to the tube and selectively urged by spring means in one of an operative buoy engaging position or an inoperative position in which it does not engage the buoy, and
• (e) a laterally opening door provided on each tube for the loading thereof with one of a long buoy or with two short buoys.