THE HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENTS

OF MARTIN-BAKER ESCAPE SYSTEMS

The challenges and the success of Martin-Baker ejection seats

1
Introduction

‘Martin’s Aircraft Works’ was founded by Sir James Martin as an aircraft manufacturer in
1934. The factory was established in 1929 and four aircraft prototypes were produced: MB1,
MB2, MB3 and MB5. It was during the designing and testing of the MB1 where James Martin
and Captain Valentine Baker started their friendship and ‘Martin-Baker Aircraft Company Ltd’
was established.

On 12th September 1942, during a test flight of

the Martin-Baker MB3 prototype, Captain
Valentine Baker was tragically killed. The
engine seized and he was forced to make an
emergency landing, during which the aircraft
struck a tree stump. Captain Valentine Baker's
death greatly affected Sir James Martin, so
much so that pilot safety became Martin's
primary focus.

In 1944, Sir James Martin was invited by the

then Ministry of Aircraft Production to
investigate the practicability of providing fighter
aircraft with a means of assisted escape for the
pilot.

After investigating alternative schemes, it soon

became apparent that the most attractive
means would be by forced ejection of the seat
with the occupant sitting in it, and that the most
effective means of doing this would be by an
explosive charge. The Martin-Baker ejection
Sir James Martin, C.B.E., [Link]., [Link]., [Link].E., Hon. [Link].S.
seat was then born.

2
EARLY EXPERIMENTAL WORK

Physiological Considerations
There was at that time, no information on what the human body could withstand in the form
of upward compressive thrust. Some data was available concerning somewhat lower g
forces applied horizontally in catapult launching of aircraft, but it was obviously inapplicable
to the new problem. It therefore became necessary to carry out tests to determine the
amount of upward g force the human frame would tolerate, and the idea was conceived of
shooting a seat up a near-vertical path, loading the seat to represent the weight of the
occupant, and measuring the accelerations and rates of rise of g involved.

A 16 foot test rig was built in the form of a tripod, one of the legs being in the form of guide
rails. The seat was propelled up the guide rails by a gun, consisting of two telescopic tubes
energised by an explosive cartridge. The guide rails were provided with ratchet stops every
3 inches, so that the seat was automatically arrested at the top of its travel.

The first dummy shot with the seat loaded

to 200 lb was made on 20th January 1945,
and four days later one of the Company’s
experimental fitters, Mr. Bernard Lynch,
undertook the first “live” ride, being shot up
the rig to a height of 4 feet 8 inches.

In three further tests, the power of the

cartridge was progressively increased until
a height of 10 feet was reached, at which
stage Lynch reported the onset of
considerable physical discomfort.

As the mean g being applied at this time

was still less than 4, it was necessary to
investigate the nature of the acceleration
and the reason for the severe physiological
effects produced.

In order to study the structure and physical

limitations of the human spine, Sir James
Martin arranged to see a number of spinal
Bernard Lynch prepared for the first live test shot – January 1945
operations being performed, and later

obtained a human spine for mechanical tests. From this study and from the records of
further tests on the rig, he discovered that the damage was being caused by an excessively
high rate of rise of g, being in the order of 600 to 800 g per second. Following further study,
Sir James came to the conclusion that injury to the spine would not occur if the following
conditions were fulfilled.

o That the peak acceleration should not exceed 21 g and that this peak should not be
held for longer than about 1/10th of a second.

o That the onset or rate of rise of g should not be greater than 300 g per second.

3
 o That, in sustaining this acceleration, the body should be held in a position to ensure
that adjacent spinal vertebrae are square to each other.

These factors are now generally accepted as design criteria for ejection seats.

Alterations were now made to the seat to

meet the new conditions. To ensure that
the g came on relatively slowly and did not
exceed the first two conditions, a two-
cartridge gun was designed, in which the
first cartridge started the seat rising
smoothly and the second cartridge was
fired by the flame when uncovered by the
moving piston, building up the pressure
gradually to the maximum required.

To cater for the third condition, the sitting

posture in the seat was altered by
rearranging the footrests and by the
adoption of the face screen method of
firing the seat. In this method, the firing
handle was positioned above the
occupant’s head and attached to the
handle was a screen which, when the
handle was pulled forward and downward,
completely covered the occupant’s face.
Sir James Martin studying effects of the first test shot

The advantage of the scheme was two-fold; in reaching for the handle, the occupant
automatically assumed the correct attitude by straightening his back and squaring up his
spinal vertebrae, and the screen afforded the necessary protection to the face from air blast
as the seat left the aircraft.

The first dummy test with the new design was made on 20th January 1945, and the g curve
obtained of the shot to the maximum height of the rig showed the desired characteristics.
However, as the seat was now overshooting the available travel, it was not possible to check
the physiological effect by means of a live shot, so it was decided to design and construct a
65 foot test rig.

4
Engineering Problems
Simultaneously with the physiological research work, the engineering problems of ejection
from aircraft were being investigated. The loan of a Defiant aircraft had been obtained from
the Ministry of Aircraft Production, and after the necessary structural alterations had been
made, an experimental ejection seat was installed in the space previously occupied by the
gun turret.

On the 10th May 1945, the seat, loaded with sand bags, was successfully ejected from the
jacked up aircraft into a specially erected catch net and on the next day a successful dummy
ejection in flight was made with Mr. Brian Greenstead piloting the aircraft.

This was the first ejection from an aircraft in flight in Great Britain. On 17th May 1945, six
further dummy ejections from the Defiant were made at varying indicated air speeds up to
300 m.p.h. This was regarded by all concerned as an important step forward, the results
obtained being encouraging. The technique employed consisted of ejection of the seat by
an ejection gun consisting of two telescopic tubes, fired by an explosive cartridge. Once the
seat was clear of the aircraft, a drogue was deployed to stabilise the seat, after which a 24
foot parachute was deployed by a delay action release. This arrangement permitted
recovery of the seat for further use.

With the completion of the new 65 foot test rig, investigations into the physiological problems
were resumed. The first dummy shot on this rig was made on 17th August 1945, and the first
live shot on the rig with the new two-cartridge gun was made by Bernard Lynch on 22nd
August. The height reached was 26 feet 3 inches and Lynch described the ride as now very
“soft” with no adverse physiological effects whatever.

Considerable further development work was carried out on this rig covering all aspects of the
eventual development programme.

5
Meteor Installation

It was now necessary to

consider ejection tests at higher
speeds and on the 12th
September 1945 a contract was
received from the Ministry of
Aircraft Production for the
design, development and
manufacture of two pilot’s
ejection seats and their
installation in a high speed
aircraft. For this work a Meteor
III was considerably modified to
permit installation of the ejection
apparatus in the ammunition
bay behind the pilot’s cockpit.
On completion of the
installation, a static dummy
ejection from the jacked up aircraft was made on 8th June 1946, into a net suspended at the
top of a 45 feet high tower.

Introduction of the Drogue Gun

On 24th June 1946, a dummy ejection in flight was made at a speed of 415 m.p.h. IAS using
the ejection technique as previously used on the Defiant. Due to the unsatisfactory action of
a special type of delay action release used, the main parachute was opened too early and
burst with the loss of the seat. A subsequent test with a modified release gave the same
result. A hydraulic type delay action release was then developed, which consisted of a
hydraulic dashpot interposed between the drogue and the seat. When subjected to the pull
of the drogue, the dashpot extended, its speed of extension being controlled by the transfer
of oil from one compartment to another through a calibrated orifice. On completion of the
extending period, the pull of the drogue was transferred to the closure pins of the main
parachute pack and thence to the canopy of the main parachute, which was then deployed.

When this release was first tested, the main parachute did not extract from its container and
on examining a film of the test, it was seen that the drogue, which was spring-ejected, had
been drawn into the wake of the seat and had become entangled with it. Further tests with
springs of varying strengths for ejecting the drogue not being satisfactory, the idea was
conceived of deploying the drogue by means of an explosive operated gun. A drogue gun
(see illustration) was therefore designed which consisted of a barrel containing a piston
secured to it by a split pin.

The bottom part of the barrel, which contained an explosive cartridge, was screwed into a
body containing a spring-loaded firing unit, the sear of which was extracted by a 24 feet long
static line. The top of the piston was connected by a nylon cord to a safety pin retaining four
flaps over the top of the drogue container, and a further extension of the nylon cord
connected to the drogue. As the seat ejected, the static line tautened and fired the drogue
gun; the energy imparted to the piston sheared the split pin and propelled the piston with
considerable force well clear of the seat vortex, taking with it the nylon cord and the drogue
which could now develop properly and stabilise the seat immediately. The idea proved

6
successful and although subsequently modified in detail, the drogue gun has remained a
basic feature of all Martin-Baker seats.

In the course of further dummy ejections from the Meteor, it was discovered that the loads
produced at high speed by the drogue were considerably above those anticipated, resulting
in the continual snapping of drogue cables at speeds in excess of 35 m.p.h. IAS.
Considerable research work resulted in the design of a 2 foot drogue of special shape
manufactured from aircraft linen with a 7½ inch vent and 12 nylon lines which functioned
perfectly at speeds up to 500 m.p.h. and over.

2- Early design of drogue gun, fired by 24foot static line

3- 60 foot per second ejection gun

7
First Live Ejection
At this stage it was decided to make a live ejection and on 24th July 1946, Bernard Lynch
ejected himself from the Meteor at 320 m.p.h. IAS at 8000 feet.

The main features of the seat used in this ejection were:-

A Face screen firing control to ensure correct ejection posture by squaring up the spinal
vertebrae and also to provide protection to the face from air blast.

B Two-cartridge 60 feet per second ejection gun, ensuring an acceptable rate of rise of
g forces.

C Drogue gun fired by static line after seat had risen 24 feet and drogue gun deployed
clear of seat vortex.

D Seat stabilised in horizontal position and slowed down by the action of a single 2 foot
diameter drogue.

E After a delay, controlled by the hydraulic release, the pull of the drogue was
transferred from the seat to a 24 foot supply dropping parachute attached to the seat.
This parachute then developed and supported the seat and occupant.

F The occupant then unfastened his seat harness, pushed himself away from the seat
and when clear, pulled the ripcord of his personal parachute and made a parachute
descent, the seat meantime came down on its own 24 foot recovery parachute.

The whole system worked

successfully and Lynch made a
perfect landing; this was the first
live ejection from an aircraft made
in England. Since then Bernard
Lynch has made 30 live airborne
test ejections, which courageous
acts have earned him the respect
of pilots all over the world.

Bernard Lynch seated in the rear cockpit of a Meteor 3 aircraft

before carrying out the first live ejection.

8
Early Work for U.S. Navy
The United States Navy Authorities had displayed great interest in the early experimental
work, and following a demonstration to them at Denham had placed an order for a 110 foot
test rig to be erected in the Navy Yard, Philadelphia, and an ejection seat to be installed in
the rear cockpit of a Douglas A-26 aircraft. Following experimental work on this rig and a
series of dummy airborne ejections, a successful live ejection was made at Lake Hurst on 1st
November 1946, by Lieutenant Furtek, U.S.N., using the Martin-Baker equipment.

U.S. Navy Yard, Philadelphia, August 1946.

Sir James Martin and U.S. Navy Officers examine a Martin-Baker ejection seat.

9
MANUALLY OPERATED SEATS Mark 1 (Mk.1)
Back in Britain the seat used by Lynch
was completely re-designed, to allow for
production on a quantity basis and the
usual series of dummy ejections again
repeated, perfecting the design of the
drogue and its stowage and curing the
various teething troubles which
developed. Finally, on 19th August 1947,
Lynch again ejected himself, this time at
12,000 feet at an indicated air speed of
420 m.p.h. He landed safely, and
afterwards stated that no shocks had
been felt, even at this high speed. This
successfully demonstrated the
smoothness of the ejection gun, the
effective protection of the face screen
and the efficiency of the stabilising
drogue.

In June of the same year the authorities

had decided to standardise the Martin-
Baker Ejection Seat for installation in all
new service jet aircraft, and the work of
production and installation was put in
hand for Meteor, Attacker, Wyvern,
Canberra and later the Sea Hawk and
Venom aircraft.

These were the original versions of the Mk. 1 seat and incorporated the same features as
the experimental seat used by Lynch except that the 24 foot seat recovery parachute was
dispensed with, the occupant had to unfasten his seat harness and fall away from the seat
after the drogue had done its work of stabilising and slowing down the seat. In addition
these seats were provided with a seat pan capable of being raised and lowered to
accommodate pilots of varying stature without increasing the height of the seat, adjustable
foot rests, and integral thigh guards to prevent the occupant’s legs being forced apart by air
blast.

The seat was guided during ejection by four rollers on the seat structure running in a guide
rail assembly bolted to the aircraft structure, the ejection gun being located within the hollow
guide rail assembly.

A considerable number of emergency escapes were made with these manually operated
seats, which fully justified their introduction in Service aircraft. Their limitations, however,
were already obvious and the idea of making the whole sequence of events automatic
began to take shape.

10
AUTOMATIC SEATS Mark 2 (Mk.2)

Experience with the manually operated

seats had shown that a number of
fatalities had occurred, due to
unconsciousness after ejection,
inaction due to circumstantial stress, or
lack of time to carry out the necessary
manual operations when ejecting at
low altitudes. Accordingly, effort was
concentrated on producing a simple,
yet effective, fully automatic ejection
seat, capable of being produced in
quantity, reliable in service, and
designed to permit the retrospective
conversion of most of the existing
manually operated seats already
installed in Service aircraft.

Scissors Shackle
Before and after release of scissor shackle.

In the design of the first automatic seat, it was decided to

house the personal parachute in a container in the back
of the seat and the dinghy pack in the seat pan, to
facilitate the use of the drogue to effect deployment of
the parachute. It was also necessary to devise some
means of disconnecting the drogue from the seat at the
correct time and transferring its pull to the parachute, and
simultaneously a means of releasing the occupant
complete with his parachute and dinghy pack from the
seat.

On the Mk. 1 seats, the drogue had been attached to the

top of the seat by a solid shackle. This was now replaced
by a “Scissor Shackle”, capable of being opened
automatically at a pre-determined time.

11
Time Release Unit
A clock-work “Time Release Unit” (see illustration) was devised and bolted to the top of one
of the side beams of the seat. Tripped by a static line as the seat rose on ejection, this
mechanism ran for a period of 5 seconds, at the end of which time a plunger in the
mechanism released the scissor shackle and the drogue pulled away from the seat.
Simultaneously, the mechanism unlocked the seat harness by pulling on a cable which
rotated the face plate of the modified harness release box. As the drogue pulled away from
the seat its pull was transferred to a canvas apron, positioned between the back type
parachute and its container, which then tautened and tipped the occupant forward and out of
the seat. Attached to the apron was the parachute withdrawal line, which now released the
parachute pack closure pins and pulled out the apex of the parachute. Concurrently with the
drogue pulling free of the scissor shackle, the face blind was released so that the occupant
was completely free of the seat, which then fell away, leaving the occupant to descend with
his parachute deployed; the drogue and apron still being attached to its apex.

The Time-Release Unit consisted of spring-loaded plungers, which actuated the harness
release and drogue scissor shackle, controlled and operated by a rack in engagement with
gears, regulated by an escapement and starwheel.

7-Early Design of Time Release Unit

8-Improved design drogue gun

12
Barostat
To prevent the parachute from deploying at very high altitudes, where a slow descent could
prove fatal due to lack of oxygen or the extreme cold, a barostat was fitted to the Time-
Release Unit to prevent its running until the seat had descended to 10,000 feet. The
barostat consisted of an aneroid capsule which engaged the starwheel at heights above
10,000 feet, thus delaying the operation of the mechanism, and permitted the occupant to
ride the seat down through the cold and rarefied air, controlled by the drogue and breathing
oxygen which was turned on automatically during ejection, until descended to a height
where separation from the seat and deployment of the parachute could be effected safely
and without injurious consequences.

Provision for Manual Separation

In order to guard against the possibility of failure of the Time Release Unit, provision was
made for the seat occupant to make a manual separation from the seat. This necessitated
some means of being able to disconnect the parachute withdrawal line now connected to the
drogue via the apron, before the occupant manually unfastened his seat safety harness. The
method employed consisted of a slide disconnect pin in the withdrawal line positioned inside
the parachute pack, and operated by an additional D ring on the parachute harness similar
to the ripcord D ring.
In the event of failure of the Time Release Unit after ejection, the following drill was carried
out.

1 Pull the 1st D ring.

2 Unfasten the safety harness.
3 Push clear of the seat.
4 When clear of the seat, pull the 2nd D ring to deploy the parachute.

The two D rings were positioned adjacent to each other, but the second one was covered
with a canvas flap, which was removed as the 1st ring was pulled, thereby exposing the
second D ring for subsequent use.

Improved Drogue Gun

With these modifications it was considered worthwhile to change the drogue gun, which had
until then been fired by a 24 foot static line. A greatly improved design was therefore
adopted; this being operated by a 1-second clockwork time-delay and tripped by a short
static line attached to the aircraft. Work commenced on the modification of the existing Mk.
1 seats in August 1953. Royal Air Force seats were modified at the Martin-Baker factory
and Royal Navy seats were modified on site by Navy working parties trained for the task.

13
IMPROVING THE AUTOMATIC SEATS Mark 3 (Mk.3)

The Mk. 2 automatic seats were successful

in providing safe escape from the aircraft in
service at the period, but there was still room
for improvement at very low altitudes and
very high speeds. In addition, the advent of
aircraft such as the Javelin and the V
bombers with their high fin projections and
higher operating speeds, made it necessary
to increase the height of the ejection
trajectory – any increase also improving the
chance of a successful ejection at low
altitudes.

80ft per Second Ejection Gun

The simplest way of increasing the trajectory height would have been to increase the
explosive charge in the ejection gun, but enough has already been said to show that this
would have increased the peak acceleration and onset of g to an unacceptably high limit,
well beyond the limits of human toleration. To avoid this harmful effect while still achieving a
higher ejection trajectory, an ejection gun with a stroke of 72 inches, giving a velocity of 80
feet per second, was designed to replace the existing 60 feet per second gun. While
maintaining the characteristic low peak acceleration and rate of rise of g of the earlier gun,
this provided the extra velocity necessary for increasing the trajectory height.

The gun consisted of three tubes, two of which telescoped inside the main outer tube,
powered by one primary and four auxiliary charges, the latter being arranged in two pairs.
When the primary charge was fired, an inner tube was unlocked by the generated pressure
and began to rise, together with the intermediate tube, carrying the seat and occupant with
it. After extending 16 inches, the lower two auxiliary cartridge ports were uncovered,
allowing the flame to ignite the first pair of cartridges, and a further extension of 9½ inches
uncovered and fired the second pair of auxiliary cartridges. The gun continued to extend
until the intermediate tube was arrested by a flange on the outer tube, the shock being
cushioned by fifteen hollow gas-filled rings. The inner tube continued extending until it broke
away from the gun, carrying the seat and occupant clear of the aircraft.

14
 Although this gun was designed primarily to
give a trajectory adequate to clear the higher
fins of the new aircraft, it was found, during
tests, to possess the added advantage of
gaining trajectory height at low speeds.
Trajectory heights of the order of 90 feet above
aircraft datum are obtained with this gun at
moderate air speeds, and this enhances the
chances of safe escape near the ground.

Leg Restraint
During ejection at very high speeds, it was
found that the thigh guards of the Mk. 1 and 2
seats were not completely effective in the
prevention of leg flailing. At these speeds the
airstream could be sufficiently powerful to lift
the feet from the footrests and carry the legs
over the top of the thigh guards, where severe
injury could possibly be caused to the knee and
hip joints. It therefore became imperative that
some form of mechanical leg restraint should
be introduced on the seats used in the faster
aircraft. A number of different methods were
investigated, including guards which folded
inboard over the thighs, but were discarded for
a system securing the legs to the seat by nylon
cords, subsequently
introduced on all Mk. 3 type seats.

80ft per second telescopic ejection gun & keg

restraint system

The arrangement consisted of two reinforced

nylon cords, each connected to the cockpit floor
by a shear pin, designed to pull away at the
load required to ensure that the legs were held
back against the forward edge of the seat pan.
The other end of each cord was passed
through snubbing units fixed to the forward face
of the seat pan, and then through metal rings
on webbing garters strapped to the occupant’s
legs. The two free ends of the cords were then
connected to the harness release box.

The cords were arranged to allow free movement of the legs whilst seated in the cockpit,
but, on ejection, tightened up between the snubbing units and the harness release box
before breaking away from the floor, thereby automatically securing the occupant’s legs to
the front face of the seat pan, where they were firmly held until the harness was released
and the occupant separated from the seat.

15
Duplex Drogue System
As already stated, the introduction of an 80
feet per second ejection gun resulted in a gain
of trajectory height at low altitude.

In order to take full advantage of this, and

further enhance the chances of safe escape
near the ground, consideration was then given
to the practicability of speeding up separation
from the seat after ejection.

The drogue of 24 inches diameter, then in use,

streamed the main parachute 5 seconds after
ejection, but it was obvious that a drogue
parachute of constant canopy size would only
achieve efficiency at a certain combination of
speed and altitude. The time interval, with this
particular drogue, was selected to allow the
speed to drop from the highest probable
ejection speed to one safe for opening the
main parachute, and in other conditions its
performance was less efficient. Intensive
development work and flight testing with
various types of drogues led to the
introduction of the Duplex Drogue system.
This scheme employed two stabilising drogues
in tandem, a small drogue of 22 inches diameter, known as the controller drogue, and a
larger main drogue of 5 feet diameter. The controller drogue was automatically extracted by
the drogue gun on ejecting, and, when deployed, brought the seat back into a horizontal
attitude, then towed the main drogue out of its container. The main drogue streamed the
parachute when separation occurred, and this, when developed, lifted the occupant clear of
the seat. The action of the controller drogue was twofold: first, to get the seat into a
horizontal attitude so that the subsequent deceleration on the seat and occupant was linear
and consequently more tolerable; second, the most important, it prevented explosive
opening of the main drogue. In tests, when a 5-foot diameter drogue was deployed without
a controller at 600 m.p.h. and at a height of 150 feet, it was torn to shreds, the drogue
producing such violent loads that the face screen was torn and the seat harness broken.
With the controller drogue employed under similar conditions, none of the components
showed any signs of distress. Similarly, the main drogue prevented the explosive opening of
the parachute, thus opening shocks and decelerations were reduced to within the strength
limitations of the parachute and the physical limitations of the body.

With the incorporation of the Duplex Drogue it was found to be practicable to reduce the time
delay between ejection and the streaming of the main parachute from 5 seconds to 3
seconds. At the same time the delay in the firing of the drogue gun was reduced from 1
second to ½ second. These improvements were introduced, together with the 80 feet per
second gun and leg restraint gear, in the Mk. 3 ejection seat, a great step forward from the
older Mk. 1 and the first automatic seat, the Mk. 2.

16
The Ground Level Seat
A series of fatal accidents involving aircraft of the Navy and Royal Air Force during take-off
and the resultant ejections at too low an altitude, impressed the need for an ejection seat
with ground level capabilities. The fact that the Mk. 3 seat was able to operate successfully
from low altitudes was fundamentally due to the method and speed by which the Duplex
Drogues deployed the main parachute, and the higher seat trajectory imparted by the 80 feet
per second ejection gun. With ground level ejections, however, every second between the
firing of the seat cartridge and the deployment of the main parachute is vital, and
consideration was given to the reduction of the 3-second delay in the time-release
mechanism. A delay of 1½ seconds was ultimately selected as being the most suitable to
ensure deployment of the parachute at the top of the trajectory. With this 1½ second delay
fitted to a standard Mk. 3 seat, Squadron Leader John Fifield, O.B.E., D.F.C., A.F.C., ejected
from the Mk. 7 Meteor, taking off at Chalgrove on 3rd September 1955, the culmination of a
long series of dummy runway ejections. Squadron Leader Fifield was safely on the ground
six seconds after firing himself out of the Meteor, thus converting the sceptics who were
previously convinced that a man would not survive such an ejection. The following month,
again in a standard Mk. 3 seat, Squadron Leader Fifield made a test ejection from a height
of 40,000 feet.

As previously described, the time-release mechanism of this seat was barostatically

controlled to bring the seat down quickly from 40,000 feet, through the cold and rarefied
upper atmosphere, to 10,000 feet where parachute deployment and separation from the seat
took place. For the first 15 seconds of the fall the seat was fully stabilised, thereafter settling
into a slow spin of from 15 to 20 r.p.m. about the longitudinal axis until it disappeared into a
patch of stratus cloud. When seen again Fifield was suspended from his parachute. After
his descent Squadron Leader Fifield said that he did not feel any unpleasant sensation from
the spinning and that the seat was remarkably stable throughout. From this and other tests
it was concluded that with this type of seat, safe ejections from 40,000 feet and higher are
practicable, the occupant having the protection of the seat structure and face screen, the leg
restraint preventing leg flailing, whilst the firing handle provides a positive hand-hold taking
care of the arms, the face screen also holding the oxygen mask in position on the face,
enabling the occupant to breathe the emergency oxygen supply turned on as the seat ejects.

Sqn. Ldr. Fifield making

the first runway
ejection at Chalgrove.

17
Canopy Jettison

Experience in service had shown that

vital time was being used to operate
canopy jettison gear and carrying out
other pre-ejection drill. Under certain
aerodynamic conditions, or if damage
had occurred, it was possible that the
canopy might not leave the aircraft
cleanly, even though it had been
unlocked. This could give rise to the
ejected seat colliding with the canopy
and becoming entangled with it. Under
high-speed conditions, difficulty was
also encountered in grasping the face
blind firing handle, due to the slipstream
entering the cockpit and causing severe
buffeting once the protecting canopy
had left the aircraft. By providing an
explosive canopy jettison system
powerful enough to force the canopy
clear under all conditions, and by linking
its operation to the ejection seat firing
handle, it was possible to overcome
these difficulties, the ejection position
being adopted prior to the canopy
leaving the aircraft.

The canopy jettison equipment

consisted of a unit bolted to the rear of the ejection seat guide rail and containing a canopy
jettison breech, together with a one second delay mechanism. On pulling the ejection seat
firing handle, the sear of the canopy jettison gun was withdrawn, the cartridge detonated and
the gases passed through piping to the two canopy jettison jacks. The expanding gases
forced the pistons of the jacks upward, first operating the canopy locks and then raising the
canopy for the airstream to carry it clear of the aircraft. At the same time as the firing of the
canopy jettison cartridge the time-delay mechanism was tripped. This ran for one second, at
the end of which the main ejection gun was fired, thus allowing the canopy to be well clear of
the aircraft structure before the seat and occupant were ejected. The adoption of this
system in Hunter, Javelin and other aircraft meant that one second after the pilot initiated the
ejection procedure he would be carried clear of the aircraft, no time being wasted on any
other pre-ejection action which may have prejudiced his chances of escape.

18
Mark 4 SEATS (Mk.4)

With the advent of a new type of aircraft

known as the “light fighter” it became
increasingly important to reduce the
weight of the ejection seat. At the same
time it was essential that the reduction in
weight should not impair the operation
and efficiency of the seat in any way.
The construction of the Mk. 4 seat,
although retaining the essential
components of its predecessors, was
therefore considerably modified.

The basic 80 feet per second ejection

gun was retained, having been proved
to be sufficient for all current
requirements, as was the Duplex
Drogue system deployed by the half
second time-delay drogue gun, together
with a 1½ second time-release unit. The
conventional type of guide rail was
eliminated and superseded by channel
members mounted on the sides of the
ejection gun. Steel slipper pads
mounted on the seat beams located the
seat in position in the channels and
guided it out of the aircraft on ejection.
The seat structure consisted of a
framework of two side beams bridged by three cross members, this framework supporting
the seat pan and the drogue container; the drogue gun and the time-release unit being
mounted on the side beams. The top cross beam took the full thrust of the ejection gun and
contained the seat latch mechanism for locking the seat to the ejection gun. The centre
cross member served as the attachment point for the shoulder harness whilst the lower
member provided an anchorage for the seat height adjusting mechanism. Although fitted
primarily with the face screen firing control, an alternative firing handle was fitted in the
leading face of the seat pan. This enabled the occupant to eject when conditions of g
precluded the use of the face screen control.

The comfort of the seat was considerably improved by the design of the parachute pack and
dinghy pack alongside that of the seat, instead of trying to use the existing safety equipment.
The parachute pack was a back-type, horseshoe in shape, and mounted high up on the
back of the seat in the best position for automatic deployment, together with a high degree of
comfort. The parachute harness was redesigned to combine with it the safety harness all in
one, with only one quick-release fitting which was fastened by the occupant when strapping
in the seat, and remained fastened throughout any subsequent ejection until released by the
occupant at the conclusion of the parachute descent. This combined harness was attached
to the seat by two locks in the rear of the seat pan and another lock in the back of the seat at
shoulder height, the locks being released by a redesigned time-release unit at the correct
instant after ejection, through a linkage system installed in the seat. The locks could also be

19
operated manually in the event of failure of the time-release unit by a manual separation
lever on the seat. This arrangement of the parachute and harness was also fitted to some of
the later Mk. 3 seats.

Later Mk. 4 seats were fitted with a snubbing unit in the top lock and a release lever which
permitted the occupant to lean forward in the
seat, but ensured that he was firmly held in the
event of an ejection or crash landing. A number
of variations of survival pack were designed by
Martin-Baker according to the various
requirements of the Air Force concerned, but all
embodied the principle of seat cushion and
container for dinghy and survival equipment. The
seat cushion was designed to give maximum
comfort and filled with a resilient padding slow to
return to its original form after compression,
thereby helping to absorb the acceleration forces
imposed during ejection.

These Mk. 4 seats have been fitted to some 35

different types of aircraft, the first emergency
ejection being from a Fiat G. 91 in March 1957.

The 80 feet per second ejection gun and guide rail assembly fitted to Mk.4 seats onward.

20
G Switch
The time-delay required for safe ejection at
ground level had been found to be 1½ seconds,
but this was only the case if ejection took place
at low speeds. At high speeds this period of
delay was insufficient to permit the seat to
decelerate to a speed at which it was safe to
deploy the main parachute. Ideally, a unit was
required which would incorporate a delay
varying in accordance with the speed at the
time of ejection, and some means was
therefore sought of combining both the 3
second and 1½ second delays in the same unit.
The result was an automatic selector, known as
the g switch, which was adapted to fit the 1½-
second time-delay unit.

The g switch consists of a small weight free to

oscillate within the Time Release Unit. When
the drogues develop, the seat assumes a
horizontal attitude and the retarding force
imparted by the drogues causes the weight to
pivot forward, engage the starwheel of the
escapement and prevent the unit from running
out. As the seat is decelerated, the retarding
force decreases and a light spring returns the
weight to its original position, allowing the unit
to run out.

Redesigned barostatic time-release unit introduced

with the combined harness.
Below: Early Guillotine system fitted to Mk.4 seats.

When an ejection takes place at low speed, the

time-delay unit runs unimpeded (providing the
ejection is below 10,000 feet and not subject to
barostatic control), allowing the drogues to be
released 1½ seconds later, but, in the case of ejection at high speed, the g switch is
engaged and the correct delay is automatically selected by the particular deceleration loads
imposed.

With the introduction of the g switch it was therefore possible to provide for safe ejections at
all speeds likely to be encountered by modern aircraft. At a later date the delay was further
reduced by ¼ second and the 1¼ second time-delay became standard equipment on the
majority of Martin-Baker seats.

21
Guillotine System
In order to reduce the number of operations necessary when making a manual separation
after ejection, a guillotine system of disconnecting the parachute withdrawal line from the
drogue was introduced. A small guillotine unit was mounted, usually on the side of the
drogue container, with the parachute withdrawal line positioned in a spring-loaded guard
immediately above the cutter of the guillotine. The cutter was operated by a cartridge, fired
by a short static cable between the back of the parachute case and the sear of the guillotine
firing unit. As the seat occupant moved forward on separation, taking his parachute pack
with him, the cable removed the sear to fire the guillotine and cut the withdrawal line.

This arrangement rendered unnecessary the need for any operation of two D rings on the
parachute harness. In the event of failure of the time-release unit, all that was now
necessary was for the occupant to operate the harness release lever on the seat and pull his
rip cord D ring to deploy the parachute.

An alternative method of firing the guillotine was later introduced which interconnected the
firing of the guillotine with the operation of the manual separation handle, instead of using a
static cable attached to the parachute pack.

Further Modifications
Further modifications have been made to a number of the Mk. 4 seats, including the
adoption of leg restraint lines which plug into latch boxes on the front of the seat pan,
instead of being secured to the harness release locks at the rear. The 1-second time-delay
mechanism after the canopy jettison equipment has been initiated is now available
contained in the breech of the main ejection gun, whilst the canopy locks can now be
operated by the expanding gases of the canopy jettison charge via a by-pass valve instead
of the initial movement of the jacks.

22
OPERATING SEQUENCE OF THE Mk.4 SEAT

1-Preparing to eject
2-Face screen pulled to commence ejection sequence

23
3- Canopy jettisoned

4- Seat commences to eject, legs retracted and sear withdrawn

from drogue gun.

5- Simultaneously the firing pin is withdrawn from time-release

unit.

6- Half a second after ejection the drogue gun fires and the
piston is ejected.

7- The line attached to the piston withdraws the drogues from

the container.

8- Which stabilize the seat and reduce its forward speed.

9- When below 10,000 ft. and the speed reduced sufficiently,

the time-release unit operates and the scissor shackle opens.

24
10- The pull of the drogues is transferred to the lifting lines and the face screen and
parachute are released from the seat.

11- The combined harness and leg cords are released

from the seat.

12- The drogues deploy the parachute and the occupant is lifted out of the seat,
allowing the seat to fall free.

13- The occupant makes a

normal parachute descent.

25
Mark 5 SEATS (Mk.5)
To suit the special requirements of the
United States Navy, the Mk. 5 seat
was introduced in 1957 and its
production paralleled to that of the Mk.
4. In general the Mk. 5 seats
conformed to the same basic pattern of
the Mk. 4 and included the standard 80
feet per second gun, 1¼ second time
delay with g switch and barostatic
control, duplex drogue system plus all
the other features necessary for their
use at all speeds and heights. To
meet specific American crash
requirements however, the seat
structure and harness were
strengthened to withstand deceleration
loads of 40 g, instead of the 25 g
British specification, resulting in a
slight increase in weight.

In addition, the seats were provided

with special canopy breaker peaks on
the headbox to provide for the
eventuality of having to eject through
the canopy, standard practice on the A.5 seat installed in the Grumman 9F-8T Cougar. On
the majority of the other Mk. 5 seats the American system of jettisoning the canopy was
linked up with the face blind firing handle.

The low level capabilities of the Mk. 5 seat were successfully demonstrated in August 1957,
when Flying Officer Sidney Hughes ejected from a Grumman Cougar at the U.S. Naval Air
Test Centre, Patuxent River, before a group of high ranking U.S. Navy Officers.
Subsequently, the decision was made to standardise the Martin-Baker Mk. 5 seats for all
United States Navy jet fighters and trainers, and many fuselages were sent to the
Company’s factory at Denham for trial installations.

North American Sabre and Republic Thunderflash aircraft of the Norwegian Air Force were
the first of many N.A.T.O. aircraft to be flown into Chalgrove airfield where the installation of
Martin-Baker Mk. 5 seats was made, replacing the original American ejection seats fitted in
these aircraft, because the Norwegian Air Force preferred Martin-Baker seats. Altogether
the Mk. 5 seat has been fitted to nearly twenty types of American aircraft, including such
advanced aircraft as the McDonnell Phantom, L.T.V. Crusader, and Grumman Intruder.

26
Personal Equipment Connector
The connection of vital personal
services between the aircraft and the
seat occupant on later designs of
Martin-Baker seats has been
considerably simplified by the
introduction of the Personal Equipment
Connector (P.E.C.).

The connector saves much time in

“strapping in”, as all the aircraft service
lines combine at this point and are
connected by one single action, instead
of the several needed before its
introduction. When the seat ejects, the
supplies of anti-g, oxygen and air
ventilation, as well as the tel/mic are
automatically disconnected and sealed,
whilst the emergency oxygen is turned
on and admitted via the main oxygen
supply line.

The P.E.C. consists of three portions,

namely the seat portion, the man portion
and the aircraft portion. The seat
portion is permanently attached to the
seat pan. The other two portions are
detachable from the seat portion and
connected respectively to the pilot’s
equipment (man portion) and by a static
line to the aircraft (aircraft portion). On
ejection the static line pulls away the
aircraft portion, and on separation from
the seat the man portion is released, the
air ventilating suit supply line being
provided with a valve to prevent the
ingress of water should the pilot alight in
the sea.

An important feature of the P.E.C. is that coupling of all services is simultaneous and can
easily be checked by use of the tel/mic, which, if speech is audible, shows that oxygen and
the other supplies are correctly connected.

27
Rearward Facing Seat Research
During 1960, Martin-Baker carried out tests to demonstrate that safe ejection from aircraft
fitted with rearward facing seats was practicable.

A specially designed seat was installed in a Valiant aircraft and after a series of static tests,
a programme of three dummy ejections was carried out, one on the runway during the take-
off run and two at a height of 200 feet at indicated air-speeds of 250 knots and 300 knots.
The tests commenced on 27th June 1960, the dummy runway ejection occurring when the
aircraft was travelling at 100 knots and was completely satisfactory, the parachute being fully
developed 4.3 seconds after ejection initiation, allowing a fully controlled drop of 38 feet.

The series of tests was rounded off by a live ejection over Chalgrove airfield by Mr. W. T.
Hay on 1st July 1960, at a height of 1,000 feet and a speed of 250 knots, witnessed by
several Royal Air Force Officers from Ministry of Aviation Headquarters Bomber Command.
The ejection was completely successful, Mr. Hay landing in the middle of the airfield after an
uneventful ride and a completely controlled descent.

As far as is known, this was the first rearward facing live ejection in the world and it fully
proved the feasibility of such ejections.

Rocket Assisted Seats

As a result of all the development work described in the foregoing pages, the Martin-Baker
standard cartridge-fired ejection seat is now giving an aircrew recovery rate of around 93%.
Of the small number of unsuccessful ejections, approximately 60% have occurred at low
altitude with the aircraft descending at a high sink rate, and in most of these cases the
ejection sequence was developing satisfactorily, but the pilot struck the ground with the
parachute streaming but not developed.

Obviously if the trajectory height were increased sufficiently to ensure full development of
the parachute canopy under such conditions, the pilot’s chance of survival would be greatly
enhanced.

The required increase in height could not be achieved by increasing the power of the
ejection gun; the early physiological development lessons had been well learned, and it was
considered that the ultimate had been achieved in ejection gun design. A means was
therefore sought whereby the thrust imparted by the ejection gun could be prolonged without
subjecting the seat occupant to any increase in acceleration forces, and this has been
achieved by the addition of a rocket motor.

28
 st
Sir James Martin with Mr. W.T. Hay after the first “live” rocket seat demonstration on the 1 April 1961.

29
Rocket Development
In some systems other than Martin-Baker, the ejection gun itself contains the rocket charge
which initially acts as a conventional cartridge until gun separation occurs, when the rocket
efflux is then directed 45° rearwards in order that the rocket thrust may act through the
centre of gravity of the ejected mass, thereby preventing cartwheeling. However, because
the jet efflux in these systems is thus directed rearwards, the resulting trajectory is low and
flat. It therefore follows that in the low level, nose down ejection case, these guns will fire
the seat in more horizontal trajectory, the all important upward component will be absent and
the additional height required for parachute development in this low level, descending
condition will not be reached. In a horizontal flight path such seats may prove satisfactory,
but it is only in the descending case that the advantages of the Martin-Baker system become
apparent.

Since the earliest Martin-Baker rocket seat designs, all efforts have been directed to
providing a near vertical trajectory. Originally the rocket fuel was contained in two steel
combustion tubes mounted on the rear of the seat pan and leading into an efflux chamber,
which discharged downwards below the seat providing the desired thrust. Many tests were
conducted using this twin tube system and a high degree of success was attained. These
tests culminated in a live ejection under zero speed zero altitude conditions conducted by
Mr. W. T. Hay at the Company’s airfield on 1st April 1961. The ejection was a complete
success and a descent of 200 feet on a fully developed parachute was achieved. Mr. Hay
repeated this test at the Paris Show in 1961, which also met with success.

Although most successful, this arrangement was abandoned in favour of a multi-tube rocket
pack which could be fitted underneath the seat pan, with the efflux thrust line almost vertical
and passing through the centre of gravity of the ejected mass. The rocket pack is attached
to the seat pan in a manner which facilitates quick and simple removal and replacement
without the use of special tools, and greatly simplifies the retrospective fitting of the rocket to
ejection seats already in service. The very minimum of modification action is required to
install the rocket pack and no special considerations are required for its maintenance.

Multi-Tube Rocket Pack

The rocket pack consists of a number of combustion tubes, containing the solid propellant,
which are screwed into a central gallery mounted transversely across the bottom of the seat
pan. The gallery also accommodates the efflux nozzles screwed into its underside and
pointing downwards. The number of efflux nozzles varies according to the design
characteristics of the seat and rocket combination and is usually between 2 and 6.

One of the combustion tubes is fitted with a mechanical firing mechanism and cartridge. The
design of this is based on other similar firing mechanisms of the sear and firing in type which
are in use on all Martin-Baker seats and are consequently of tried and proven design. As
the ejection seat nears the end of the ejection gun stroke, a static line attached to the cockpit
floor withdraws the sear from the firing mechanism allowing the spring-loaded firing pin to
descend and fire the cartridge. The cartridge produces an exceedingly hot flame, which
flashes throughout the tube system causing simultaneous ignition. To ensure the correct
light-up characteristics, the efflux nozzles are sealed by metal discs, which blow out when
the correct pressure build up is attained.

30
Combustion Tube Sizes
The standard rocket pack now being fitted in various ejection seat installations is fitted with
combustion tubes of approximately one inch in diameter and is designed to provide the
additional thrust necessary to ensure a safe ejection under conditions of zero altitude and
with a sink rate up to 30 fee per second.

V.T.O.L. aircraft, however, can encounter extremely high sink rates should an emergency
arise whilst hovering, and it is for this purpose that a rocket pack employing approximately
two inch diameter combustion tubes has been developed. This two-inch rocket motor is
much larger and is designed to give the seat a trajectory high enough to ensure safe escape
from an aircraft with a sink rate approaching 80 feet per second. It will also prove to be
extremely beneficial should an emergency arise in a prototype aircraft whose “in flight”
characteristics have yet to be ascertained.

Test Programme
Early tests were done on ground rigs to verify efficient performance and reliability, and when
these tests were satisfactorily completed, dynamic and airborne tests were conducted. Test
vehicles used during this extensive programme were a launching stand for the zero-zero
ejections, a specially adapted motor vehicle for the low speed runs, a Meteor Mk. 7 aircraft
for the medium speed test and finally, a Hunter Mk. 7 for the high speed runs. Tests were
planned and executed to ensure simulated ejections at all critical areas, particularly zero
speed, 40 knots, 90 knots, 250 knots, 450 knots, and 600 knots, the highest speed of which
our airborne test vehicles are capable. The test also covered the wide range of body
weights likely to be encountered between pilots of different weights and stature, resulting in
changes of position of the c of g of the ejected mass.

These tests again culminated in a live

ejection, this time by Wing Commander
Peter Howard, a Royal Air Force Doctor
at the Institute of Aviation-Medicine and
a specialist in Aviation Physiology.

On 13th March 1962, Peter Howard

ejected himself from a Meteor aircraft at
a speed of 250 knots and an altitude of
250 feet. The test was completely
successful and Peter Howard
commented very favourably on the
smooth ride. This was due to a
significant reduction in acceleration, the
peak g being about 15 and the rate of
rise about 160 g per second.
Sir James Martin and W/Cdr Peter Howard after the
first airborne rocket seat ejection.

Other live ejections followed and the

successful results allowed Martin-Baker
to offer the rocket pack for service use
with the utmost confidence.

31
In order to evaluate the performance of a rocket seat when ejection occurs at speed near the
ground, with the aircraft in a nose down attitude, Martin-Baker have constructed a rig to
simulate this condition. The rig consists of a track 200 feet long, one end of which is
supported on a tower 80 feet high with the other end at ground level, giving an inclination of
approximately 20°.

The seat under test is installed on a rocket propelled sled, which is hauled to the top of the
incline by mechanical winching gear and then propelled at speed down the incline and
ejection initiated at a pre-determined point during its travel. This unique inclined sled track,
the only one of its kind in the world, enables the seat to be tested in crucial diving conditions.
In addition, a 6,000 feet long “supersonic” sled track is also used to test seats, particularly
the high-speed tests.

In addition to the tests done by the Company and referred to above, a large programme of
evaluation tests of the Martin-Baker rocket seat have been done in the United States with
special reference to its installation in the Intruder, Crusader and Phantom aircraft. These
tests have been done under the direction of the Bureau of Naval Weapons and carried out at
their laboratories at Dahlgran, Philadelphia, and on the high speed sled-track at China Lake.

In September 1965, the U.S. Navy decided to fit Martin-Baker rocket seats in the three
aircraft mentioned, both retrospectively as well as in future production models.

Engineering Arrangements
In addition to the test work to prove the system, installations have been carried out in a large
number of operational aircraft with a view to its ultimate retrospective fit. The work already
done in this area indicates that this rocket motor can be installed in most operational aircraft
fitted with Martin-Baker seats, with very little modification to the seat or aircraft. Further, the
operational disturbance of the aircraft involved will be kept at a minimum and the cost of
retrospective fit will thus be proportionately low.

Emergency Ejections
On 14th September 1964, an emergency ejection took place from a VJ-101C aircraft fitted
with a Martin-Baker rocket seat in the most exacting conditions. Mr. George Bright, an
American Test Pilot employed by EWR Germany, took off in this aircraft at Manching,
Germany. A conventional take-off was begun but when the aircraft unstuck, control was lost
and the aircraft began a vicious left-hand roll. After rolling 320°, in other words with a 40°
bank, the pilot ejected by using the seat pan handle. At the time, the aircraft’s nose was
elevated 18°, it was yawing 17° and the starboard wing tip was at a height of 10 feet above
the runway when the pilot ejected. This ejection was entirely satisfactory. The unusual
behaviour and attitude of the aircraft during this very short flight of approximately 8 seconds
were recorded by means of a cine-camera, which was operating to film the take-off.

Regrettably, the actual ejection was not photographed because the camera operator
understandably abandoned his camera as the aircraft came hurtling towards him. In service
the rocket seat has been remarkably reliable and efficient.

32
Service Use
Martin-Baker ejection seats fitted with a rocket pack are currently fitted in a wide range of
aircraft, including the following:

Fiat G91 and G91Y, Macchi MB326, Crusader, Intruder, Phantom, Buccaneer,
Starfighter, Harrier, F14 Tomcat, Hawk, Jaguar and Tornado.

The rocket seat has a particular application to VTOL aircraft. With a conventional seat, safe
escape would be virtually impossible in the very critical situation engendered by engine or
control failure during take-off, landing or hovering flight.

Rocket Thrust Angle

A later refinement added to the rocket
installation was the provision of a control for
adjusting the angle of thrust of the rocket in
relation to the seat, to compensate for
variations in the weight of the occupant. The
control, known as a “pitch control unit”, is
mounted on the side of the seat pan and
consists of a handwheel attached to a vertical
screwjack, the lower end of which is attached
to the forward part of the rocket pack.
Rotation of the handwheel will cause the front
of the rocket to rise or fall and thus vary the
angle of the rocket’s thrust, to ensure that the
thrust will pass through the centre of gravity of
the ejected mass. A scale, calibrated in either
pounds or kilogrammes, moves in a glazed
aperture as the handwheel is rotated; the
occupant sets his “dressed weight” on the
scale when he enters the aircraft.

33
Marks 6, 7 and 8 SEATS (Mk.6, Mk.7 and Mk.8)

Introduction of the rocket pack to the range of Mk. 4 and Mk. 5 seats created the basic Mk. 6
and Mk. 7 ranges respectively. However, many of the Mk. 7 range of seats were
subsequently embodied with additional improvements in design such as Power Retraction
Systems, Remote Fired Rocket Systems and Sequencing Systems as later described. The
Mk. 8 seat (developed for the T.S.R.2 aircraft), was a rocket assisted seat and was
undoubtedly the most advanced aircrew escape system produced up to that time. Despite
the unfortunate cancellation of the T.S.R.2, much valuable experience was gained, which
was fully exploited in later designs.

Power Retraction
The ideal posture favourable for successful ejection is for the ejectee to sit upright in the
seat, to ensure that his vertebrae are in line and square with each other before ejection.
Under the stress of an emergency however, this may not be achieved without automatic
mechanical assistance, and this is provided by a power retraction system.

A power retraction system consists of two straps attached to the shoulder straps of the
harness, each strap being wound around a reel, the two reels being mounted on a horizontal
shaft capable of being rotated under power, in order to pull back the shoulders of the seat
occupant to the correct posture for ejection.

The power for rotation of the reels is provided by a cartridge, the gas produced operating on
a piston, the reciprocating motion on which is converted to a rotary motion, either through a
rack and pinion or a quick-start thread. The firing of the cartridge is linked to the seat firing
handle; suitable delays being incorporated in the individual design to ensure that ejection is
not commenced before retraction is complete.

Included in the design of all power retraction units is a device which allows the seat
occupant complete freedom of movement in the cockpit, enabling him, during normal flight
manoeuvres, to reach forward and twist around in his seat for maximum visibility, the straps
pulling out of the unit as he moves forward and retracting on their spring-loaded reels as he
moves back; each strap acting independently. Should however the occupant be subjected

34
to high g forces, the reels will automatically lock to prevent further forward movement, but
will release immediately the g forces are relieved.

A control lever mounted on the seat operates a pawl and ratchet system, which, when
engaged, will permit the occupant to move back in the seat but will prevent all forward
movement, irrespective of whether or not g forces are applied.

Remote Rocket Firing System

As previously described, earlier designs of rocket were fired by a static line withdrawing a
sear from a sear-operated firing unit on the rocket. The static line was originally clipped to
the rocket tubes and in later designs was accommodated in a helical dispenser attached to
the underside of the tubes. Neither method proved completely satisfactory; the static line
was always vulnerable, easily damaged and consequently liable to fail.

This problem was solved by the introduction of a remote firing system, consisting of a firing
unit mounted high up on the seat, usually either on the drogue container or the upper part of
the main beams. The unit contains a sear-operated firing pin and cartridge, and the static
line which is coiled inside the unit out of harms way, one end being attached to the sear, and
the other end to a fitting attached to the aircraft, usually one of the tip rods for either the
drogue gun or the time-release unit.

As the seat leaves the aircraft, the static line is withdrawn, pulls taut and removes the sear to
fire the cartridge in the remote firing unit. Gas pressure produced is delivered by rigid pipe
and then by flexible hose to a gas-operated firing unit in the rocket, which fires and ignites
the rocket propellant.

35
Mark 9 SEATS (Mk.9)

After some 23 years of development, the

design of the Martin-Baker Ejection Seats was
becoming somewhat complex, and towards the
end of the 1960 decade a new design was put
in hand which eventually became the Mark 9
seats. The general design features of the
ejection gun and guide rail, the barostatic time-
release unit, the drogue gun and the personal
equipment connector were retained, but
considerable changes were made to the
general seat structure, the drogue container,
the parachute and the seat pan. These design
changes resulted in a marked improvement in
the appearance of the seat and in personal
comfort for the occupant.

These seats were equipped with power

retraction and a completely new gas-operated
seat firing system, superseding firing cables
and utilising one firing handle only, mounted on
the seat pan, the face screen and its firing
cable being dispensed with.

Seat Structure and Drogue Container

The seat structure of the Mk. 9 seats is made up of two main beams and three cross beams
of similar design to previous seats, but the design of the drogue container and method of
mounting the seat pan is changed. The drogue container is a more box-like construction
with the drogue assembly enclosed by the usual four flaps on the top. The front surface is
upholstered, contoured to fit the pilot’s flying helmet to provide head restraint, and has a
vertical channel in the centre of the upholstery to accommodate the parachute withdrawal
line.

Two large tubes are attached to the front surfaces of the main beams on which are mounted
two sliding members (one upper and one lower). The seat pan is attached to these sliding
members by four nuts; this arrangement enables the seat pan to be quickly detachable to
provide quick access to equipment in the cockpit. The seat actuator is positioned between
the centre cross beam and the lower sliding member.

Parachute and Seat Pan

The design of the parachute is considerably changed on the Mk. 9 seats, being stowed in a
near-rectangular container, contoured to provide a comfortable back rest and
accommodated in a large recess in the back of the seat pan. The top of the container is
closed by flaps secured by rip pins which are withdrawn normally by a withdrawal line
connected to the drogue shackle, or on manual separation by a rip cord handle situated on
the port lift web. A skeletal torso harness is used, being connected to the lift webs by Koch
fittings. The harness power retraction unit is housed in the back of the seat pan, its retraction

36
straps being routed through small shackles on the parachute lift webs.

Gas Operated Seat Firing System

The seat firing system of the Mk. 9 seats differs completely from previous seats, the system
is gas-operated, there being no firing cables, and only one firing handle which is positioned
on the front face of the seat pan.

Experience has shown that a seat pan firing handle is quicker to operate than a face screen
handle and, in addition, the modern flying helmet and its visor provides the face protection
previously provided by the face screen.

When the seat pan firing handle is

pulled, a sear is withdrawn from a
breech unit beneath the seat pan;
gas generated is piped to the
harness retraction unit and to a
sear withdrawal plunger unit
mounted on the top of the port
main beam. The harness and the
sear withdrawal unit rotates a cross
shaft on the top of the seat
structure to withdraw the sear from
the ejection gun and fire the seat.

37
Utilisation of Mk. 9 Seats
Mk. 9 seats are installed in the Harrier and Jaguar aircraft. The seats showed a marked
advance in ejection seat design and provided the basis for further development to the
following Mark 10 series of seats.

The Mk. 9 seats provided the “break through” in ejection seat design with the gas-operated
seat firing system, re-designed parachute pack and quickly detachable seat pan. Further
improvements in design however, were soon to follow, involving an extension of the gas-
operated system together with a number of new innovations, resulting in the introduction of a
new series of Mk. 10 seats described in the following pages.

Mk.9B seat fitted to Jaguar aircraft

38
Mark 10 SEATS (Mk.10)

Considerable design changes are

introduced on the Mk. 10 seats in an
effort to reduce the time lapse between
initiation of ejection and full parachute
development. The main design changes
are:-

1. Extension of the gas-operated

firing system introduced on the Mk. 9
seats to include the release of the drogue
and to operate the harness release
system.

2. Re-design of the barostatic time-

release unit and the drogue gun for
inclusion in the gas-operated system.

3. The drogue and parachute have

been combined as a complete assembly
and stowed in one quickly detachable
container at the top of the seat structure.

4. A simplified two-point combined

harness.

5. Improved design of harness power retraction unit.

6. Introduction of arm restraint.

These, and other improved design features described in the following pages resulted in the
introduction of the Mk. 10 series of seats, with a reduction of weight and an improved
performance, the new seat being capable of providing safe escape at zero altitude and zero
speed, and at speeds up to 630 knots IAS.

Mk. 10 seats are fitted in the Hawk, Tornado, Mig 19 (Pakistan), Macchi MB339, CASA 101,
Sea Harrier and many other types of aircraft.

39
Barostatic time Release
The re-designed time-release unit for the Mk. 10 seats employs a time-delay mechanism
operated by a trip rod as the seat leaves the aircraft, and controlled by a barostat at heights
above the barostat setting, similar to previous designs. When the time-delay mechanism
runs out a spring-loaded firing pin is released to fire a cartridge contained in the unit. Gas
generated by the cartridge passes to a piston and rod assembly within the unit to withdraw
the shackle release plunger to release the drogue, and mechanically operate the upper
harness locks on the seat. Gas from the cartridge is also piped to a secondary cartridge in
the drogue gun (to cater for any initial drogue gun failure) and to a piston unit in the lower
rear portion of the seat pan, to operate the lower harness locks and release the P.E.C. man
portion, leg and arm restraint, and the negative g strap lock.

The new unit also incorporates a barostatic g controller. The function of the g controller is to
control the opening of the parachute at altitudes above 6000 feet. Rapid opening of the
parachute is essential at low altitude to achieve the maximum recovery capability for the
pilot, but as altitude increases, rapid parachute deployment becomes unnecessary. The g
controller increases the parachute deployment time above 6000 feet, to limit the g forces
experienced by the pilot on parachute opening.

The g controller consists of a barostat, an operating lever and a weight. Below 6000 feet the
barostat is compressed by atmospheric pressure and moves the operating lever into
engagement with the weight, preventing the weight from moving. Therefore, below 6000
feet the time-release unit will deploy the parachute in 1.5 seconds irrespective of speed.
Above 6000 feet, the barostat expands, disengages the operating lever from the weight and
allows the weight to operate.

If deceleration forces of more than 3 g are exerted by the pull of the drogue, the weight will
move down and engage a pawl with the starwheel in the time-release mechanism. As soon
as these forces reduce below 3 g, the weight moves upwards, releasing the starwheel and
permitting the time-release unit to operate.

40
Barostatic time-release unit fitted to Mk.10 seats

41
Drogue Gun
The re-designed drogue gun has a similar sear-operated firing pin controlled by a time-
delayed mechanism, cartridge, barrel and piston arrangement as previous drogue guns, but
is provided with a secondary cartridge contained in a breech parallel to the body of the gun.
The lower end of the secondary breech is
provided with a gas-operated firing unit and the
upper end is joined by a horizontal gas passage to
the body of the gun just below the barrel.

On normal operation the sear is withdrawn by its

trip rod as the seat ejects; when the time-delay
mechanism runs out, the firing pin fires the
primary cartridge and the piston is expelled in the
normal manner. Should however the gun fail in
any way, gas pressure from the barostatic time-
release unit will be supplied (when that unit
functions), to the gas-operated firing unit of the
secondary cartridge, firing the secondary cartridge
to expel the piston. Should the time-release unit
fail, gas pressure will be supplied by the manual
separation breech in the seat pan, which is fired
when the manual separation handle is operated.

Above: Drogue gun fitted to Mk.10 seats.

Parachute stowed in the headrest (Drogues removed)

42
Combined Drogue / Parachute
The drogue assembly and the parachute are packed in one container at the top of the seat
main beams and forms the occupant’s headrest. This design feature obviates the necessity
for a separate parachute pack, simplifying the harness arrangement, and permits both
drogue and parachute to stream quickly and clear of the seat structure. Servicing and
packing of both drogue and parachute is simplified, as the container is quickly detachable for
servicing in a parachute workshop.

A GQ Aeroconical parachute is used. This parachute opens rapidly without excessive

deceleration loads, enabling the time delays to be significantly shortened.

Simplified Two-Point Combined Harness

The harness of the Mk. 10 seats is a combined
parachute/seat safety harness as many of the
previous seats, but has been simplified by mounting
the quick-release fitting permanently on the
negative-g strap, the lower end of which is held in a
lock in the seat pan. The remainder of the harness
consists of two lap straps, two leg loops, two
shoulder straps and a back pad attached to the
straps by beckets. Lugs fitted to the lower end of
each shoulder strap are the only two connections
made into the quick-release fitting when strapping
in. Prior to plugging in the lugs of the shoulder
straps, each leg loop is passed through a “D” ring
on the extremity of the relevant lap strap and the
appropriate shoulder strap passed through the leg
loop before plugging into the quick-release fitting.
Harness assembly as fitted to Hawk aircraft

The upper end of each shoulder strap is provided

with a roller shackle. Through these shackles are
passed the straps of the harness power retraction
unit, which are then plugged into the top harness
locks. The lower straps of the harness are
equipped with two metal lugs which plug into the
lower harness locks.
This arrangement of harness considerably quickens and simplifies the strapping in
procedure and provides a marked improvement in comfort and in the degree of restraint.

Single Action Manual Separation System

The newly designed manual separation system caters for failure of the barostatic time-
release unit and failure of the drogue gun either above or below the height at which the
barostat on the time-release unit is set. This is achieved by pulling up a manual separation
handle on the seat pan which fires a cartridge to deliver gas pressure to operate the drogue

43
gun, time-release unit and harness release mechanism. This permits the drogue gun to
deploy the drogue, which in turn pulls out the personnel parachute automatically, without the
necessity for the occupant to manually deploy his parachute with a rip cord handle. No rip
cord handle is fitted to the parachute harness.

A safety lock interconnected with the seat firing handle prevents the manual separation
handle from being operated unless the seat firing handle is withdrawn first.

Single Safety Pin

A great improvement over earlier ejection seats is the reduction in the number of safety pins
required to make the seat safe. Only one safety pin is required to make the seat safe for
parking.

Location of Single Safety Pin

Arm Restraint
Arm restraint is a new innovation on the Mk. 10 seats; it restrains the arms during ejection to
prevent injury during high speed ejections. The system consists of two restraint lines (one
for each arm) and two snubbing units, each fitted with a guillotine. On ejection, the lines pull
taut, pulling the arms inwards to the body where they are restrained by the snubbing units.
When the time-release unit operates (or the manual separation handle is operated), gas
pressure from the appropriate cartridge operates the guillotines to sever the lines and
release the arms. The degree of restriction to the arms is limited to permit sufficient
movement to operate the manual separation handle.

44
Command Ejection
Command ejection system as fitted
to Hawk aircraft

Command ejection is the

term applied to the facility
embodied in two-seat aircraft
to ensure automatic ejection
of both seats in the correct
sequence when ejection is
initiated by one crew
member. Before the
development of this facility, it
had been the practice when
an emergency arose, for the
pilot to order his crew
member to eject, and then
eject himself. At lower
altitude, the time lag entailed
in this procedure could well
prove fatal to one or both.
With a command ejection
facility, the only action
necessary when an
emergency arises is for the pilot to pull his own firing handle. This action will result in all
crew members being ejected in the pre-determined sequence; the whole sequence being
automatic and, where a canopy jettison system is fitted, this is also phased into the
sequence and the canopy jettisoned automatically before ejection commences.

The adoption of the gas-operated firing system has greatly enhanced the design of
command ejection systems. The gas pressure produced by the initiator cartridge of each
seat is piped to a disconnect block mounted on the seat; from this disconnect block, the gas,
in addition to being delivered to the harness retraction unit and the sear withdrawal unit, is
also piped to the other ejection seat via a control valve and a time-delay breech unit. The
control valve has two positions, enabling the system to be selected OPERATIVE or NON-
OPERATIVE. The time-delay breech unit ensures that the necessary time interval occurs
between the seats ejecting before the unit fires its own cartridge to eject the other seat. The
disconnect blocks are automatically disconnected by static cables as each seat ejects.

Improved Harness Power Retraction

A new design of harness power retraction unit is fitted horizontally to the front face of the
seat structure. The trim roller brackets of the shoulder harness are attached to two webbing
straps wound on spools within the retraction unit. The spools are spaced 8 inches (203
millimetres) apart to provide improved and more stable restraint. Selection to locked or
unlocked condition is by means of a control lever on the seat pan. In the unlocked condition
the unit permits freedom of movement under normal flight conditions, but will restrain the
occupant in the event of excessive forward acceleration of the body.

When the seat firing handle is pulled to initiate ejection, gas pressure from the seat firing
cartridge initiates ejection of the seat and also fires a cartridge in the power retraction unit.

45
Gas pressure from this cartridge acts upon a piston within the unit and the horizontal
movement of the piston is transferred through a drive screw, to rotate a splined shaft on
which are mounted the two webbing spools. At the same time the gas operates a locking
panel to lock the unit in the retracted position.

Gas Operated System

The gas-operated system of the Mk. 10 seats includes not only the actual firing of the seat
and operation of the harness power retraction unit, but also the release of the drogue and
harness locks when the time-release unit operates. Provision is made for both drogue gun
failure and time-release unit failure by the introduction of a gas-operated manual separation
system. The rocket firing system is included in the complete gas-operated system.

Reference to the colour diagram opposite will assist in tracing the various gas flows of the
system.

Ejection is initiated by pulling up the seat firing handle, which withdraws the sear from the
seat firing unit under the seat pan and fires the initiator cartridge. Gas from this cartridge is
piped to the harness power retraction unit breech, and to a sear withdrawal unit at the top of
the main beams. The gas delivered to the harness power retraction unit breech, fires the
cartridge in that breech to operate the retraction unit and pull the occupant to the ejection
posture. The gas delivered to the sear withdrawal unit operates a piston to rotate the seat
firing cross shaft and withdraw the sear from the ejection gun firing unit. The seat
commences to eject and trip rods withdraw the sears of the drogue gun and time-release
unit.

Towards the end of the ejection gun stroke, the remote rocket initiator cartridge is fired by its
static cable; the gas produced is piped to the firing unit in the rocket pack, firing another
cartridge, which in turn ignites the rocket fuel.

The drogue gun primary cartridge fires 0.5 seconds after ejection and deploys the drogue.
The time-release unit fires 1.5 seconds after ejection and the gas produced operates
mechanical linkages to release the drogue shackle and operate the upper harness locks.
This gas is also piped to a cylinder and piston unit in the lower rear part of the seat pan,
where it operates linkages to operate the lower harness locks, release the leg-restraint lines,
man portion of the PEC (if fitted) and arm restraint (if fitted). If the ejection takes place
above the height at which the barostat of the time-release unit is set (normally 10,000 feet),
the operation of the time-release unit will be delayed until the seat and occupant have
descended to that altitude.

Gas from the time-release unit cartridge is also piped to the gas-operated secondary firing
unit of the drogue gun. If the drogue gun primary cartridge has failed to fire and deploy the
drogues in the normal manner, the secondary cartridge is fired, the drogues are deployed
and they in turn pull out the personnel parachute as the drogue shackle has already
been released.

Should the drogue gun fail to fire during ejection, no action is required by the occupant.
When the time-release unit operates at 1.5 seconds after ejection, gas passes to the drogue
gun secondary cartridge, resulting in drogue and parachute deployment.

Should the time-release unit fail to fire following normal drogue deployment, the occupant

46
pulls up the manual separation handle. This results in the firing of a cartridge in the manual
separation breech, the gas produced being piped to the time-release and the cylinder/piston
unit in the seat pan to release the drogue and operate all the seat locks. The gas is also
delivered to the drogue gun, so that in the event of a combined failure of drogue gun and
time-release unit, the drogue is deployed to stream the parachute.

47
EJECTION SEQUENCE OF Mk.10 SEATS

1- Firing Handle pulled to initiate Escape

Sequence, Pilot’s body retracted to correct
ejection posture.

2- Ejection Gun fires, unlocking seat

from aircraft and ejecting seat. Seat
movement operates Leg Restraint
and Arm Restraint (if fitted),
disconnects personal services,
actuates Emergency Oxygen and
trips Drogue Gun and Time-Release
mechanism.
The Rocket Firing Cable starts to
extend.

Depending on the aircraft type, the canopy is either:

o Jettisoned by operation of Seat Firing Handle

o Fragmented by Miniature Detonating Cord
o Penetrated by ejection seat

Emergency Oxygen Tripped Aircraft Supplies

Disconnect.

3- As Ejection Gun tubes separate, seat

acceleration is continued by operation of Rocket
Motor.

4- Half a second after initial seat movement, the

Drogue Gun Fires and deploys the Drogues

48
5- The Drogues develop to stabilise
and retard the seat.

6- One and a half seconds after

initial seat movement or at
Barostatic Altitude, the Time-
Release mechanism operates to
release the Pilot’s Harness, Leg
Restraint System and Arm Restraint
System (if fitted), and P.E.C. Man
Portion from the seat. The Scissor
Shackle releases the Drogues from
the seat to stream the man-carrying
Parachute.

7- The Drogues deploy the Parachute and the occupant is

lifted out of the seat,
allowing the seat to fall
free.

8- The occupant makes a

normal parachute
descent.

49
Martin-Baker Patent Automatic Liferaft Inflation Unit

Follo
wing the introduction of rocket assisted ejection seats, there has been a marked reduction in
the number of fatal ejections due to lack of altitude. However, the number of cases in which
the ejectee has drowned after an otherwise successful ejection has increased. In a number
of these cases, it has been noted that the liferaft was not inflated; had it been, the chances
of survival of the ejectee would have been greatly improved. From research of the problem
of survival after water entry, a complementary device has been evolved, the Martin Patent
Automatic Liferaft Inflation Unit. This will ensure that the ejectee, upon re-surfacing, will find
his liferaft fully inflated and ready for boarding, even if he has not lowered his personal
survival pack before entering the water.

The automatic inflation unit replaces the manual-operating head fitted to the CO2 cylinder of
the liferaft and is initiated by a water-activated battery. To prevent inadvertent operation, the
water inlet apertures of the battery are sealed with moulded-in nylon plugs, which require a
predetermined load to remove them.

After ejection, as the seat falls away on separation of seat and occupant, the nylon plugs are
removed by cables attached to the seat, exposing the battery apertures for activation.
Where time permits, the ejectee will normally lower his personal survival pack to the length
of its lowering line shortly before water entry, but this is not essential with this automatic
inflation unit. On striking the water the battery will be immersed and an electrical impulse
will fire a cartridge. Gas pressure generated by the cartridge will cause a piston to rotate an
operating lever, which will withdraw the closure pins securing the survival pack flaps and
allow the pack to open. Continued rotation of the operating lever will trip the spring-loaded
cylinder operating head, thus puncturing the cylinder diaphragm and discharging the cylinder
to inflate the liferaft.

Less than two seconds will elapse from the moment of pack immersion to the start of liferaft
inflation, so that the raft is ready for boarding by the time the ejectee has recovered from his
water entry. To cater for the unlikely event of a malfunction in the automatic unit or if the

50
ejectee wishes to inflate his liferaft on land as a locating aid or accommodation, a manual
handle is provided by which liferaft inflation can be accomplished in the normal manner. The
manual inflation handle is located in the same position as on other personal survival packs,
thus eliminating any retraining problem.

This automatic inflation unit can be fitted to any hardshell bottom-opening personal survival
pack and can be easily adapted to fit any other personal survival pack.

The Martin Patent Automatic Liferaft Inflation Unit is a product of the continued research and
development undertaken by Martin-Baker to further improve the outstanding lifesaving
capabilities of their escape systems.

Single Handed Survival Pack Disconnect

This system provides for quick release of

the survival pack during descent after
ejection, by operation of one quick release
connector instead of the customary two.
This is particularly desirable if the seat
occupant is incapacitated in one hand.

A single webbing strap passes through two

buckles located one on either side of the
survival pack. An arrowhead shaped
fitting, fitted to each end of the single
webbing strap, connects into two quick
release connectors fitted to the harness
(one on the left side and one on the right
side).

Operation of either quick release connector

will allow the pack to fall away, whereas
previously it was necessary to operate both
connectors.

Underwater Ejection
An underwater escape system has been designed by Martin-Baker to provide automatic
escape from submerged aircraft, even though the occupants may be unconscious. An
ejection seat fitted with this underwater system is capable of ejecting the occupant from the
aircraft, separating him from the seat and bringing him to the surface by means of a fully
inflated lifejacket, no action whatsoever being necessary by the seat occupant.

Incorporation of the underwater system provides the standard seat with this additional

51
facility, but in no way affects the normal ballistic operation of the seat during an airborne
ejection.

Modifications to the seat consist of an air cylinder mounted either on the seat or on the
aircraft bulkhead and charged to 3000 lb per square inch. Air from this cylinder is released
at a pre-set depth as the aircraft sinks, and pressure is directed into the ejection gun
cylinder. This results in the extension of the ejection gun tubes and subsequent seat
ejection.

Air is also piped to a drogue gun trip rod release unit to disconnect the trip rod, to prevent
the gun from firing and thus prevent the drogues from deploying.

The time-release unit operates as in a normal ejection to give seat/man separation.

Bladders positioned behind the parachute pack and beneath the survival pack inflate during
separation, to push the occupant clear of the seat. Parachute deployment is prevented by
severance of the parachute withdrawal line by a guillotine as the occupant leaves the seat.
After separation from the seat, the occupant rises to the surface aided by his inflated
lifejacket, which is inflated by pressure from a CO2 cylinder mounted on his lifejacket, and
actuated by air pressure from the air cylinder.

52
Conclusion
One cannot fail to be impressed by the progress made in ejection seat development since
1944 when ejection from aircraft was first being considered. This progress was made
possible by the skill, guidance, and untiring effort of the late Sir James Martin C.B.E., [Link].,
[Link]., [Link].E., [Link].S., producing an aircraft escape system second to none,
which resulted in the saving of 5,000 lives by the end of 1982, a total which continues to
increase at an average rate of more than 3 per week.

For his magnificent work in this field, Sir James received the following honours and awards:-

Appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire in June 1950.

Appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in June 1957.

Appointed Knight Bachelor in 1965.

Doctor of Science conferred by Queen’s University Belfast 1970 and by The College
of Aeronautics Cranfield 1975.

Awarded the Wakefield Gold Medal of the Royal Aeronautical Society in 1951.

Awarded the Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award in 1958 (Sir James being the first
non-American to receive this award).

Awarded the Cumberbatch Air Safety Trophy in 1959.

Awarded the Royal Aero Club Gold Medal in 1964.

Fellow of Institute of Science and Technology, University of Manchester.

Queen’s Award
The Martin-Baker is proud and honoured to have received the Queen’s Award for Export
Achievement and the Queen’s Award for Technological Achievement on a number of
occasions.

Development continues in an untiring effort to keep pace with the development of modern
aircraft. Today, the ejection seat still appears to be the ultimate means of escape from
aircraft of the foreseeable future, and the name of Martin-Baker will remain in the forefront
as representing the most reliable aircraft escape system in the world.

53