This is the webpage for the Raytheon Release Lanyard Design Project.

Several of Raytheon weapons use lanyards to mechanically activated devices within the weapon on release. For example, mechanical fuzes may use a lanyard to withdraw a safety device as the bomb is dropped or a switch maybe activated to indicate that the weapon has separated from the aircraft. In a few occasions, these lanyards have failed as a result of icing, contamination (Sand and Dust), or poor installations. Raytheon is looking for a design that is less susceptible to these types of failures and has higher performance reliability.