The Mk16A grew out of the early work undertaken by Martin-Baker on the EF Demonstrator in 1984. This aircraft was fitted with the Mk10LX seat and through various iterations, the Mk16A was developed between 1990-95 culminating in the delivery of seven seats for the Development Aircraft (DA) programme.
The development of the Mk16A ejection seat was carried out at Martin-Baker’s facilities at Denham and Chalgrove and Langford Lodge in Northern Ireland. Because of the capabilities and wide operating envelope of the aircraft, Martin-Baker was presented with a series of challenges which have had to be overcome during the development of the seat such as the accommodation of a wider range of pilot models covering height, weight and sex requirements as well as achieving compatibility with equipment such as the Head Mounted Display (HMD), Chemical and Biological protection units (CB) and general aircrew equipment.
Furthermore, the Mk16A seat utilizes a second generation digitalseat sequencer which incorporates a strategy of continuous sensing of external environmental parameters. Under certain speed and altitude conditions the recovery timings at which the parachute is deployed are varied in order to optimise the terrain clearance.
Link: www.eurofighter.com
Specifications
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Specifications
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Mk16A-1 EFA
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Operating ceiling
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55,013 ft (16,768 m)
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Minimum height/speed
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Zero/zero in near level attitude
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Crew boarding mass range
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61.0 to 133.5 kg
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Crew size range
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Eurofighter specific crew size range
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Maximum Speed for ejection
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600 KIAS
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Parachute type
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GQ Type 5000
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Parachute deployment
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Cartridge initiated
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Drogue parachute
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Yes
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Drogue deployment
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Cartridge initiated, electronic sequencer controlled
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Aerosurface deployment system
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Yes, upper and lower. Lower is gas operated
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Harness type
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Combined
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Ejection seat operation type
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Ejection guns and underseat rocket motor
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Ejection gun
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Twin
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Ejection initiation
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Handle on seat pan initiates gas operated seat
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firing system
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Automatic back-up unit
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Yes, barostat controlled
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Electronic sequencer
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Yes, powered by thermal batteries
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Barostatic time-release unit
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No
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Timers
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Time delay for canopy jettison
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Seat adjustment
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Up/down actuator operated 28 Vdc
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Arm restraints
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Yes
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Leg restraints
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Passive leg restraint system
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Oxygen supply
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Bottled emergency oxygen
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Personal survival pack (PSP)
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Yes + automatic deployment and liferaft inflation
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Aircrew services
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Aircrew services package, interface for:
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- breathing gas
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- NBC ventilation supply
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- mic/tel
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- anti-g trousers
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Head equipment assembly services module
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Liquid suit connector assembly
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Auxiliary oxygen bottle
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Command ejection
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Yes
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Canopy jettison
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Yes
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Miniature detonating cord
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No
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Interseat sequencing system
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Yes, via mode selector
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How it works
Seat firing handle pulled
Command firing initiated
Harness retraction unit operated
Emergency oxygen supplied to aircrew
Electrical/crypto-erase connector disconnected
Canopy jettison initiated
Thermal batteries activated, electronic sequencer powered up
Ejection gun time delays initiated
Ejection guns initiated after delay
Bottom latches engage, top latches disengage seat rises up rails
Aircraft services disconnect
Leg and arm restraints operate
Secondary cartridges fire as seat rises
Multi-purpose initiators fire
End of ejection gun stroke reached
Underseat rocket motor fires
Leg restraint lines become taut and rivets shear, freeing lines from floor brackets
Lower aerodynamic surfaces deploy
Pitots deploy
Barostatic back-up unit initialised
Start switches open to begin sequencer operation
Low speed, Low/Medium altitude
- Sequencer senses low speed and low altitude
- Sequencer selects immediate mode
- Headbox deployment unit operates
Medium/high speed, Low/Medium altitude
- Sequencer senses low speed and low altitude
- Sequencer selects drogue mode
- Drogue deployment unit operates
- Sequencer restarts environmental sensing after delay
- Headbox deployment unit operates when speed sufficiently reduced
Any speed/High altitude
- Sequencer senses high altitude (any speed)
- Sequencer selects high drogue mode
- Drogue deployment unit operates
- Drogue stabilises and decelerates seat
- Emergency oxygen supply continued
- Seat descends, stabilised by drogue
- Sequencer continues to sense altitude
- Emergency oxygen supply continued
- Sequencer senses parachute deployment altitude
- Drogue and bridle released
- Headbox deployment unit operates
(In the unlikely event of sequencer failure, the barostatic back-up unit initiates headbox deployment and harness release below the pre-determined height.)
Parachute deploys and begins inflation
Harness locks and aircrew services package/liquid suit connector assembly man portions released
Inflated parachute pulls aircrew from seat
Personal locator beacon activated
Personal survival pack retained (regardless of automatic deployment unit setting)
Headbox clears ejection path and is made safe using auxiliary drogue
Aircrew descends on parachute
Personal survival pack automatically lowered after 4 seconds (if automatic deployment unit was set to auto)
Liferaft inflates automatically when immersed in water