| US 7,540,227 B2 | ||
| Air based vertical launch ballistic missile defense | ||
| Thomas H. McCants Jr., Fredericksburg, Va. (US) | ||
| Assigned to BAE Systems Technology Solutions & Services Inc., Rockville, Md. (US) | ||
| Appl. No. 10/556,153 PCT Filed May 06, 2004, PCT No. PCT/US2004/014245 § 371(c)(1), (2), (4) Date Nov. 07, 2005, PCT Pub. No. WO2005/015116, PCT Pub. Date Feb. 17, 2005. |
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| Claims priority of provisional application 60/468850, filed on May 06, 2003. | ||
| Prior Publication US 2007/0068373 A1, Mar. 29, 2007 | ||
| Int. Cl. F41F 3/06 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 89—1.819 | 6 Claims |
| 1. A method for providing a defense against a ballistic missile comprising the steps of:
positioning a launch tube with a cavity on one side of the launch tube in an approximately vertical position in an aircraft,
wherein the launch tube has a self-erecting launch rail slide in the cavity on one side of the launch tube
loading an intercepting missile in an approximately vertical position in the launch so that the intercepting missile is indexed
on loading;
then acquiring and tracking the ballistic missile; and
then igniting the missile motor so that the rail is pulled upwardly by the missile during egress from the launch tube until
the rail is stopped by a mechanical limit that also unlatches the rail from shoes attached to the missile and forcing the
shoes along the remaining length of the rail until the motor clears the aircraft, whereby lateral ripping motions are prevented
so that the vertically mounted intercepting missile is launched and then impacts the ballistic missile.
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