Abstract: Daughter missiles 11 are catapulted forward from a mother missile 10 when a rocket motor 12 of the mother no longer accelerates the missiles. A catapult force generated at a piston head 43 by the pressure of gas from the rocket motor on rearward facing surfaces 26 of the daughters is large enough to shear pins 34 holding the daughters to the mother, but only when the forces of reaction of the daughters 11 on the piston 43, due to acceleration, have fallen off. Preferably the daughters are thrown outwardly at release, most preferably by axial spinning of the structure of the mother to which they are mounted.