Fighter planes have had ejectable crew modules before.
Today’s invention is variant on that theme. A plane with a very low-weight front end, including canard wings (orange), is shown in the lower image.
Should the crew need to leave in a hurry, a secondary wing, which is stowed under the long axis of the fuselage, is rotated about its central axis.
This allows the pilot to pull the nose up a little and detach the crew module in the form of a small glider (upper image). This uses only aerodynamic forces, keeps the crew together and maintains pilot control.
Not only does this cause less injury to crew members than normal ejection but it also gives them some hope of gliding back home -or at least to a safer location.
