The Martin-Baker Mk.10 is a British rocket-assisted
ejection seat
In aircraft, an ejection seat or ejector seat is a system designed to rescue the aircraft pilot, pilot or other aircrew, crew of an aircraft (usually military) in an emergency. In most designs, the seat is propelled out of the aircraft by an ex ...
designed and built by
Martin-Baker. Introduced in the 1970s, the
zero-zero capable Mk.10 has been installed in many combat aircraft types. A lightweight version is known as the Mk.10L.
History
The Mk.10 seat is a development of the
Mk.9. Like the Mk.9 it features only one firing handle (the face blind handle being deleted), use of the explosive gas system was extended to operate the drogue gun and harness release system. Arm restraint lines and
command ejection capability were new additions. For ease of maintenance the Mk.10 was designed with modular assemblies, avoiding the need to remove the whole seat from the aircraft for minor servicing tasks.
[Martin-Baker Mk.10 fact sheets](_blank)
www.martin-baker.com Retrieved: 15 December 2011
The first successful emergency use of a Mk.10 seat involved a
Red Arrows
The Red Arrows, officially known as the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, is the aerobatics display team of the Royal Air Force based at RAF Waddington. The team was formed in late 1964 as an all-RAF team, replacing a number of unofficial teams ...
BAE Hawk on 17 May 1980 after the aircraft struck the mast of a yacht moored offshore at Brighton.
[Philpott 1989, p. 95.] A
fatal accident involving the Red Arrows in November 2011 resulted in the temporary grounding of
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
aircraft fitted with Mk.10 seats.
Operation sequence
Operating the seat pan firing handle initiates firing of the
canopy miniature
detonating cord, the main gun located at the rear of the seat then fires, the main gun is a telescopic tube with two pairs of explosive charges that fire in sequence. As the seat moves up its guide rails an emergency oxygen supply is activated and personal equipment tubing and communication leads are automatically disconnected, leg and arm restraints also operate.
As the seat moves further up and out of the aircraft the rocket pack is fired by a telescopic static rod attached to the main gun which remains attached to the aircraft after the ejection seat separates. A steel rod, known as the drogue gun, is fired and extracts two small parachutes to stabilise the seat's descent path. A
barostatic mechanism prevents the main parachute from opening above an
altitude
Altitude or height (also sometimes known as depth) is a distance measurement, usually in the vertical or "up" direction, between a reference datum and a point or object. The exact definition and reference datum varies according to the context ...
of 16,000 ft (5,000 m) A time delay mechanism operates the main parachute below this altitude in conjunction with another device to prevent the parachute opening at high speed. The seat then separates from the occupant for a normal parachute descent, a manual separation handle is provided should the automatic system fail.
Applications
By 1989 the Mk.10 ejection seat had been installed in 28 different aircraft types worldwide:
''List from Martin-Baker.''
*
Aermacchi MB-339
The Aermacchi MB-339 is a military jet trainer and light attack aircraft designed and manufactured by Italian aviation company Aermacchi.
The MB-339 was developed during the 1970s in response to an Italian Air Force requirement that sought a re ...
*
Aermacchi S-211
The SIAI-Marchetti S.211 (later Aermacchi S-211) is a turbofan-powered military trainer aircraft designed and originally marketed by Italian aviation manufacturer SIAI-Marchetti.
SIAI-Marchetti started to develop the S-211 in 1976 as a private v ...
*
AMX International AMX
*
Atlas Cheetah
The Atlas Cheetah is a South African fighter aircraft designed and produced by the aviation company Atlas Aircraft Corporation (later Denel Aeronautics). It was developed at the behest of, and principally operated by, the South African Air F ...
*
BAE Hawk
*
British Aerospace Sea Harrier
The British Aerospace Sea Harrier is a naval STOVL, short take-off and vertical landing/VTOL, vertical take-off and landing jet fighter, Aerial reconnaissance, reconnaissance and attack aircraft. It is the second member of the Harrier jump je ...
*
CASA C-101
*
Chengdu JJ-5
The Shenyang J-5 (Chinese: 歼-5) ( NATO reporting name ''Fresco'') is a Chinese-built single-seat jet interceptor and fighter aircraft derived from the Soviet Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17. The J-5 was exported as the F-5 and was originally designate ...
(Chengdu FT-5 for export, trainer version of the
Shenyang J-5
The Shenyang J-5 (Chinese: 歼-5) (NATO reporting name ''Fresco'') is a Chinese-built single-seat jet interceptor and fighter aircraft derived from the Soviet Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17. The J-5 was exported as the F-5 and was originally designated ...
)
*
Chengdu J-7 (export version - Chengdu F-7 / Guizhou F-7)
*
Guizhou JJ-7
The Chengdu J-7 (Chinese: 歼-7; third generation export version F-7; NATO reporting name: Fishcan) is a People's Republic of China fighter aircraft. It is a license-built version of the Soviet Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21, and thus shares many simil ...
(export version trainer - FT-7)
*
Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jet
The Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jet is a light attack jet and advanced jet trainer co-manufactured by Dassault Aviation of France and Dornier Flugzeugwerke of Germany. It was developed specifically to perform trainer and light attack missions, a ...
*
Dassault Mirage 2000
*
Dassault Rafale
*
Embraer EMB 314 Super Tucano
The Embraer EMB 314 Super Tucano (English: ''Super Toucan''), also named ALX or A-29, is a Brazilian turboprop light attack aircraft designed and built by Embraer as a development of the Embraer EMB 312 Tucano. The A-29 Super Tucano carries a ...
*
FMA IA 63 Pampa
*
Fouga 90
*
Hongdu JL-8
*
IAI Kfir
*
IAR 99
The IAR 99 Șoim (''Hawk'') is an advanced trainer and light attack aircraft capable of performing close air support and reconnaissance missions. The IAR 99 replaced the Aero L-29 Delfin and Aero L-39 Albatros as the jet trainer of the Romani ...
*
McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet
*
Northrop F-5
The Northrop F-5 is a family of supersonic light fighter aircraft initially designed as a privately funded project in the late 1950s by Northrop Corporation. There are two main models, the original F-5A and F-5B Freedom Fighter variants and t ...
*
Panavia Tornado
The Panavia Tornado is a family of twin-engine, variable-sweep wing multirole combat aircraft, jointly developed and manufactured by Italy, the United Kingdom and West Germany. There are three primary Tornado variants: the Tornado IDS (inter ...
*
Rockwell-MBB X-31
*
Saab JAS 39 Gripen
*
Shenyang F-6
The Shenyang J-6 ( Chinese: 歼-6; designated F-6 for export versions; NATO reporting name: Farmer) is the Chinese-built version of the Soviet MiG-19 'Farmer' fighter aircraft, the world's first mass-produced supersonic aircraft.
Design and ...
*
Short Tucano
*
Soko J-22 Orao
The Soko J-22 Orao ( sr-cyr, text=Oрао, translation=eagle) is a Yugoslav twin-engined, subsonic ground-attack and aerial reconnaissance aircraft. It was developed and built in collaboration by SOKO in Yugoslavia and by Avioane Craiova in ...
*
Soko G-4 Super Galeb
Seats on display
A Martin-Baker Mk.10LE, on loan from the manufacturer, is on static display at the
Royal Air Force Museum London.
Royal Air Force Museum London - Martin-Baker Mk.10LE
navigator.rafmuseum.org Retrieved: 15 December 2011
Specifications (Mk.IN10LH)
*Maximum operating height: 50,000 ft (15,240 m)
*Minimum operating height: Ground level
*Minimum operating speed: Zero
*Maximum operating speed: 630 knots
A knot is a fastening in rope or interwoven lines.
Knot may also refer to:
Places
* Knot, Nancowry, a village in India
Archaeology
* Knot of Isis (tyet), symbol of welfare/life.
* Minoan snake goddess figurines#Sacral knot
Arts, entertainme ...
indicated airspeed
References
Notes
Bibliography
*Philpott, Bryan. ''Eject!! Eject!!''. Shepperton, Surrey. Ian Allan Ltd., 1989.
{{Martin-Baker ejection seats
Martin-Baker ejection seats