Containerized Missile Systems Without Cranes
However, a big issue is that most missiles are much taller than a shipping container. This is true for most cruise missiles, and certainly for most ballistic missiles:
However, this means that to fire them, they must be put somewhat upright at an angle. This requires a crane-like apparatus, such as:
Instead, I propose to use a small “jump jet” like apparatus to lift the missile out of the container ship, turn it slightly upright at an angle, and then fire the missile’s main boost motor.
Cranes can similarly be expensive, especially when handling explosive cargo, so these could be cheaper, though I’m less sure on that.
Step 4: Once the missile is somewhat upright/angled away, and it’s past the container region, the missile’s main booster rocket motor can fire, carrying it away.
Small rocket thrusters have a thrust to weight ratio in the 10-100 range, and a specific impulse in the ~80-100 seconds range. That’s within reason for the extremely short “flight” duration that this would be used for (sub-30 seconds), since it only clears the shipping container by a few feet.
