China showcases truck-mounted EMALS for runway-free drone launches. How the system works
The video shows a fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle mounted on a long launch rail carried by three heavy trucks. The electromagnetic catapult rapidly accelerates the drone along the rail before launching it into the air within seconds, allowing it to transition to powered flight using its own engine.
The demonstration provides an insight into the People’s Liberation Army’s efforts to improve the mobility, survivability and operational flexibility of its unmanned aviation capabilities through rapidly deployable launch systems.
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How the system operates
The ground-based EMALS is based on the same electromagnetic launch technology used on China’s Type 003 Fujian aircraft carrier to launch fighter aircraft.
Unlike the naval version, the launcher is installed across multiple heavy trucks, enabling it to be transported and deployed from different locations. The modular system can be assembled in the field and used to launch fixed-wing drones from areas where conventional runways are unavailable or exposed to threats.
Instead of relying on rocket boosters, compressed air or hydraulic mechanisms, the system uses a linear electric motor to accelerate an aircraft along a launch rail. Before take-off, the drone is attached to a shuttle fixed to the rail. Electrical energy creates a moving magnetic field that propels the shuttle forward at high speed. After reaching the required launch speed, the drone separates from the shuttle and continues its flight using its own propulsion system.
Compared with conventional catapult systems, electromagnetic launch offers smoother acceleration, reduces stress on the airframe and enables launch settings to be adjusted according to the aircraft’s weight and mission requirements.
Built for mobility and rapid deployment
The demonstration also showcased the platform’s all-wheel steering system. Although the launcher consists of three connected trucks, it can manoeuvre within a tight turning radius, allowing operators to align the launch rail with the prevailing wind before take-off.
Launching into a headwind helps fixed-wing aircraft reduce the ground speed needed for lift-off, improving launch efficiency and operational safety.
The growing use of long-range precision-guided missiles, loitering munitions and drone warfare has increased the vulnerability of fixed airbases in modern conflicts. This has prompted many militaries to explore ways of dispersing aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicle operations across multiple locations instead of depending on permanent runways.
A mobile EMALS enables fixed-wing drones to operate from temporary bases, highways, remote islands and forward deployment areas. This reduces reliance on established airfields and improves the resilience of drone operations in contested environments.
The electromagnetic launcher could also support larger fixed-wing UAVs than portable catapult systems, making it possible to deploy drones carrying heavier payloads, including intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance sensors, electronic warfare equipment and precision-guided munitions.
