System for deployment and retrieval of airborne towed vehicles

A helicopter for use in an airborne mine countermeasures mission, the helicopter comprising:

• a fuselage;
• a pylon support mounted to and projecting outward from the side of the aircraft;
• a stores pylon mounted to the pylon support and having at least one swaybrace reciprocally attached thereto;
• a towed vehicle removably engaged to the stores pylon through the at least one swaybrace;
• a winch mounted within the aircraft and having a winch cable which is attached to the towed vehicle, the winch adapted to feed and retrieve the winch cable;
• and
• a tow cable removably mounted to the aircraft and adapted to engage with the winch cable.

A method of deploying and retrieving a towed vehicle from an airborne aircraft comprising the steps of:

• providing a stores pylon externally mounted to the aircraft;
• providing a towed vehicle removably engaged with the stores pylon;
• feeding a winch cable to cause the towed vehicle to move away from the aircraft;
• attaching a predetermined length tow cable to the winch cable, the tow cable being mounted to a location on the outside of the aircraft that is spaced apart from the stores pylon;
• and
• feeding the winch cable until the tow cable is taut and fully supporting the towed vehicle in a towed position.

A method of deploying and retrieving a towed vehicle from an airborne aircraft comprising the steps of:

• lowering a towed vehicle from an external pylon mount on an aircraft on a winch cable;
• attaching a tow cable to the winch cable with a tow pole;
• and
• feeding the winch cable until the tow cable is taut and fully supporting the towed vehicle in a towed position.

A towed vehicle deployment and retrieval system for insertion into the cabin of an aircraft comprising:

• a pylon support mounted to a skid and projecting outward therefrom, the skid adapted to be slid into a helicopter cabin;
• a stores pylon mounted the pylon support, the stores pylon having at least one swaybrace reciprocally attached thereto for removably engaging with a towed vehicle;
• and
• a winch mounted to the skid and having a winch cable which is adapted to engage with the towed vehicle.