Shipbucket

An in progress missile system I am working on. The launcher is designed to shoot any size 4 standard configuration missile. It consists of a magnetic rail launcher fed from a double carousel magazine encased in an armored drum. The magazine can hold twenty four missiles but typically the outer pass through bay is left empty to allow access to the inner carrousel. Warshots are usually carried on the outer carousel while specialty ordinance (atmospheric probes, sensor buoys, communications relays, etc.) on the inner though any combination can be loaded. The launcher acts as a low power rail gun to eject ordinance via a missile sled which sloughs off after launch. This allows the missiles to achieve a greater intercept velocity without the need to carry extra fuel.

Loading is accomplished via a external hull door adjacent to the launcher as well as a door through the armored drum. Missiles are placed in a protective magazine box that is couched inside the carousel bays to prevent catastrophic runaway damage should issues arise with other ordnance inside the magazine. Inside the box the missile is encased in a sled that provides mating to the launcher and protects the missile's internals from the magnetic launcher mechanism.

The anti-ship missile displayed has a main interception burn stage and a secondary maneuver burn stage. Long range guidance is provided by a separate fire control not shown.

Note: I used some existing parts from the sheet to get started from. Not many and little of them remains but there you go. No sense in reinventing the wheel.

I really like the works You post in this thread.

And another year goes by, but you rummage through an old folder and the disease takes you again...



This is a different version of the previous launcher but modified for center fire for use by vessels with different configurations. Specifically ships that require the launcher to be installed more internally.

The launcher works in basically the same way except the center is occupied by the magnetic rail launcher. Due to its internal location the launcher is surrounded by a dedicated armored drum to both 1.) isolate the magnetic forces from the ship during launch and 2.) contain launcher fires from exploding or hung ordinance (the previous externally mounted launcher version could more easily vent to space). The launcher is fed by a single carousel ring via a pass through hoist.

Reloading is accomplished by back feeding the missiles through the launcher. This is a somewhat more involved process than launchers with the a dedicated magazine loading door and also made underway loading from replenishment vessels prohibitively difficult though technically possible.

Displayed is a series of cutaways showing the various mechanisms of the launcher/magazine system. The launcher was typically used as the primary battery for frigate/destroyers or as a utility launcher for larger vessels. With the introduction of quad packed and lager octuple packed anti-missile missiles (AAMs) large ships generally dedicated these launchers to point defense to great effect.

It's nice to see Your new additions there.
I noticed though, that oldest drawings are missing.

Unfortunetly those earliest drawings were lost in the majhost shutdown

I might have some off then on my harddrive - PM me

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Morten812

Morten Jensen
Randers
Denmark

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