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AssigneeBabcock Energy Limited
InventorsJohn F. Fillingham, Ronald J. Hawkins, Anthony D. Wilson
Estimating the term…
Apparatus for stowing and deploying stores from air and marine craft (FIG. 2) in which the stores 28 are stowed on a modular stowage structure, such as pallets 32, with releasable locking devices 10 securing the pallets to the craft. Further releasable locking devices 29 and restraining means 30 are arranged to secure the stores to cradles 14 on respective associated pallets. The pallets and cradles are adapted to permit, upon release of the respective further releasable locking devices 29, movement by the effect of gravity of the stores to effect deployment of the stores. The stowage structure may be mounted on a ramp on the deck of the craft or the pitch of the vessel may be adjusted to effect deployment. The structure may be releasably slung beneath a sub-surface craft and provided with a fiberglass casing to make it floatable.
Apparatus for stowing and deploying stores relative to air and marine craft including a modular stowage structure for such stores, pallets releasably mounted on the modular stowage structure, releasable locking devices arranged to secure the pallets to the modular stowage structure, the pallets being formed with base portions respectively providing alignable longitudinal tracks, the tracks being formed by spaced pairs of rollers on substantially horizontal axes and spaced pairs of rollers on substantially vertical axes, cradles formed with laterally spaced, longitudinally extending, skids arranged to co-act with the respective pairs of rollers to roll freely in relation to the rollers, further releasable locking devices arranged to secure respective cradles to associated pallets the cradles being formed with support surfaces respectively adapted to accommodate any one of a series of stores, each one of the series of stores having dimensions differing from the dimension of the remainder of the series, the cradles and the pallets being adapted to permit--upon release of the respective further releasable locking devices--movement by the effect of gravity of the cradles relative to the pallets to a deployment position and, also by the effect of gravity, to effect deployment of the cradles.
Apparatus for stowing and deploying stores relative to air and marine craft including a modular stowage structure for such stores, the modular storage structure being releasably secured to the craft, pallets releasably mounted on the modular stowage structure, releasable locking devices arranged to secure the pallets to the modular stowage structure, the pallets being formed with base portions respectively providing alignable longitudinal tracks, the tracks being formed by spaced pairs of rollers on substantially horizontal axes and spaced pairs of rollers on substantially vertical axes, cradles formed with laterally spaced, longitudinally extending, skids arranged to co-act with the respective pairs of rollers to roll freely in relation to the rollers, further releasable locking devices arranged to secure respective cradles to associated pallets the cradles being formed with support surfaces respectively adapted to accommodate any one of a series of stores, each one of the series of stores having dimensions differing from the dimension of the remainder of the series, the cradles and the pallets being adapted to permit--upon release of the respective further releasable locking devices--movement by the effect of gravity of the cradles relative to the pallets to a deployment position and, also by the effect of gravity, to effect deployment of the cradles.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.