Apparatus and method for the storage and launching of a missile

Claim 1

Apparatus for the storage and launching of a missile comprising a container, longitudinal metal rails for the slidable support of the missile within the container, said rails being rigidly secured to the container, and front, central and rear sliding shoes disposed between the missile and the rails, said sliding shoes forming a continuous sliding surface, the rear shoes being secured to the rails, the central and front shoes being slidable on said rails, the central shoes being entrained by the missile for sliding on the rails, the front shoes being entrained by the central shoes and traveling with the missile at the time of launch, and a front opening cover on said container, said cover including a zone of least resistance which is capable of opening under the pressure of the front shoes when the missile is launched, said front shoes loosely surrounding the front tip of the missile, said front shoes being constituted of at least two parts joined along the axial plane of the missile and being separable from the missile upon launching, said shoes being of such length that the rear of the missile reaches the front of the rear shoes at the same time that the rear of the central shoes reaches the front of the rails so that the missile is simultaneously freed at the front and back.