Importance

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Abstract

A non-pyrotechnic reusable cartridge for ejecting countermeasures, such as chaff, flares, or other payloads. The cartridge comprises a gas chamber storing a compressed gas and including an ejection mechanism and a countermeasure storage section storing a countermeasure. In one embodiment, the ejection mechanism is a solenoid valve. When an ejection signal is transmitted by the pilot, the solenoid valve opens to allow the compressed, non-flammable gas to be released from the gas chamber and push the countermeasure out of the cartridge at a high rate of speed. Other embodiments use a rupture disk positioned between the ejection section and the countermeasure storage section. When an eject signal is received, the rupture disk is either punctured or melted to allow the compressed gas into the storage section, thus ejecting the countermeasure. A non-pyrotechnic ejection mechanism allows safer handling, flashless dispensing, reuse of the cartridge, varied ejection force, and economical reloading with a variety of payloads.

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First Claim