MIT/DRAPER Technology Development Partnership Project : Design, assembly, and test of the launch and flight support and deploymnet system for a gun launched reconnaissance vehicle

• Main Author: Shook, Garrett W.
• Language: en_US
• Published: Monterey, California. Naval Postgraduate School 2012
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10945/8681

CIVINS === The MIT/Draper Technology Development Partnership Project is a two year design and development project between Draper Laboratory and the MIT department of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Overall aims of the project include the development and testing of an innovative first-of-a-kind system using the capabilities of both institutions over a two year period. During the first year, the Partnership decided on the design and development of a gun-launched aerial reconnaissance vehicle compatible with current U.S. Navy five inch guns. The second year team began with a review of the previous work and continued project development with the detailed design, manufacturing, and testing of two proof- of-concept vehicles. This thesis reviews the system design from concept review through the final design and testing. Design and development of the launch and flight support system and the vehicle deployment system is covered in detail. These systems protect the reconnaissance flyer during launch and ballistic flight and initiate the deployment sequence. The major systems critical to a gun launched reconnaissance vehicle were tested. Innovative subsystems successfully survived launch within an eight inch test canister. The thesis covers the results of the development and testing and can serve as a design path for further integration and design of the vehicle into an operational unit