Airborne Drone Launch and Recovery Apparatus

摘要

An airborne drone launch and recovery apparatus for selectively launching drones located on the underside of a carrier aircraft or recovering drones following flight of the drones, the airborne launch and recovery apparatus has an extensible stinger slidable along the length of a stinger sheath between a retracted position proximal the rear portion of the carrier aircraft and an extended position in front of the carrier aircraft, and a catcher shuttle carried on the forward part of the stinger for extending into the non-turbulent air in front of the carrier aircraft when the stinger is in the extended position. The carrier shuttle includes a launch/recovery assembly for selectively either having a locked condition for the recovery guide of a drone prior to the positioning of the catcher shuttle in a selected for the launch of the drone, and having an open condition for receiving the recovery guide of a drone at the termination of the flight of the drone to terminate the flight.

主权项

1. An airborne drone launching and recovery apparatus for use on a carrier aircraft for launching drones having a recovery guide from the carrier aircraft or for recovering drones from the carrier aircraft following flight of the drones, said airborne drone launch and recovery apparatus comprising:
a stinger assembly for attachment to the underside of a carrier aircraft, said stinger assembly including:
a stinger for disposition in a spaced relationship from the underside of a carrier aircraft; anda catcher shuttle held by said stinger for being disposed in the non-turbulent air in front of the carrier aircraft in flight, said catcher shuttle being releasably engageable with the recovery guide of a drone to selectively release the recovery guide of a drone prior to launch of the drone, and engage the recovery guide to effect the engagement of the recovery guide upon the end of flight of the drone to capture the drone to terminate the flight of the drone.