The Mk.10 seat is designed in four main units, catapult, main beam structure, seat pan and parachute assembly. This greatly simplifies and speeds maintenance or cockpit access. The seat can be rapidly installed or removed by assembly or disassembly of the main units in the aircraft. As the aircraft canopy is not removed, valuable maintenance time is saved.The overall size footprint of the 10L seat has been tailored to suit a large number of aircraft installations. This design envelope flexibility enables the seat to be perfectly matched to any existing or future cockpit space limitations without adversely affecting the primary design operation of the seat.
- Seat firing handle pulled causing seat initiation cartridge to fire
- Harness retraction unit operated, command firing initiated
- Primary cartridge fired causing inner and intermediate pistons to rise, releasing top latch
- Seat rises up guide rails
- Miniature detonating cord trip initiates canopy fracturing system
- Secondary cartridges fire in turn as seat rises
- Electrical connections separate disconnecting seat actuator circuit, IFF
switch and oxygen regulator supply lead
- Aircraft portion of main oxygen generating system block separate
disconnecting main and back-up oxygen
- Personal equipment connector aircraft portion disconnects from seat portion
- Anti-g suit hose disconnects
- Leg restraint lines draw back and restrain aircrew’s legs
- Leg restraint lines become taut and rivets shear, freeing lines from floor brackets
- Trip rods withdraw sears from drogue gun and barostatic time-release units
- Emergency oxygen trips
- Remote rocket initiator operated by static line, cartridge fires to ignite rocket pack
- Rocket pack sustains upward thrust of ejection gun, diverging trajectories for front and rear seats
- After delay mechanism has operated, drogue gun piston fires
- Ejected piston withdraws closure pin from closure flaps of drogue parachute pack and deploys drogues.
- Deployment of drogues stabilize and retard the seat and aircrew
- Low altitude/High speed -
- Seat descends stabilised by drogues
- Barostatic time-release unit completes run and fire
- High speed/high altitude -
- Barostatic capsule operates to prevent parachute deployment above pre-determined altitude
- Barostatic controlled g-switch delays parachute deployment above 7000 ft until speed and g-force are reduced
- Barostatic time release unit operates below pre-determined altitude, completes run and fires
- Manual separation (override) used if automatic system fails
- Gas from cartridge used to
- Free drogue shackle link
- Release parachute mechanical lock
- Operate upper harness locks and lower harness release mechanism to free lower harness lugs, negative-g straps, leg restraint lines and personal equipment connector man portion
- Drogues withdraw parachute from container
- Sticker straps momentarily hold aircrew in seat
- Parachute develops, lifts aircrew and survival pack from seat and pulls sticker clips from clips causing aircrew and seat to diverge
- Normal parachute descent follows
- Aircrew releases either of two quick-release connectors to lower survival pack to end of line
- Survival pack opened manually when necessary