DRAG-PRODUCING DEVICES

Described herein is a towed body (10) having a deployment mechanism (18, 20, 22, 28) for deploying a drag cone carried thereby. The towed body (10) comprises a body portion (12), a nose portion (14) and a tail portion (16). The deployment mechanism comprises a slider (20) mounted on the body portion (12) to which are pivotally mounted a plurality of forward opening blades (24). The slider (20) has a clip (22) mounted within it for locking the blades (24) in the fully deployed position. The slider (20) abuts a hub (18) for providing a surface on which the fluid acts as the towed body (10) is being towed therethrough. From a stowed position, fluid acting on the hub (18) forces the slider (20) and the blades (24) to move towards the tail portion (16). The blades (24) move up and over a bumper (28) located adjacent the tail portion (16) to deploy from the stowed position. When the blades (24) are fully deployed, the clip (22) engages with the body portion (12) to lock the blades (24) in position. In this position, the blades (24) substantially define a drag cone. Once the fully deployed position has been reached, the hub (18) is jettisoned to remove any unwanted turbulence.