Abstract: A launcher for launching a flying vehicle, such as a projectile or missile, includes a cutter for cutting a line, such as an umbilical line, that is coupled to the vehicle prior to launch. An example of a line is a tube for providing cooling for onboard components of the vehicle, such as a seeker of the vehicle. The cutter may be part of a mount of the launcher for mounting the line and other components, such as a compressor. The cutter may be configured so that as the vehicle translates relative to the launcher during the initiation of launch, the line moves against the cutter, severing the line. The cutter may retract after severing the line, for example being pulled away from the vehicle (and into the mount) by a spring mechanism.

Abstract: A shock isolator includes slots in inner and outer parts that define flexures between the parts. The slots may include inner slots and outer slots that are offset from each other around a perimeter of the inner part. The shock isolator also includes stops that provide a mechanical limit on the movement of the flexures. The stops may be posts that extend from one of the parts into holes in the other of the parts. In another embodiment that stops may be extensions from one of the parts over portions of the other of the parts. The stops help in preventing plastic bending and/or fracture of the flexures due to stress.