China has unveiled for the first time a container-type launch system capable of sending fixed-wing (winged) drones into the air without a runway, capturing worldwide attention. The U.S. military outlet The War Zone (TWZ) reported June 30 that video of a Chinese truck-mounted electromagnetic aircraft catapult launching an actual drone had spread on social media.
The system connects multiple trucks to form a single long electric catapult, on top of which a drone is accelerated for takeoff. The video showed a propeller-equipped fixed-wing drone accelerating along a launch track atop three trucks connected in a line, before rising into the air and taking off.
The trucks, which had been moving separately, joined together in a single row and operated as a catapult. They even demonstrated a special steering capability that allows them to change direction almost in place while connected. Although first spotted late last year, this is the first time an actual launch has been confirmed. The exact time and location of the video's filming have not been confirmed, and it is unknown whether the Chinese military has formally adopted the equipment.
The equipment appears to be from the same line as the truck-type electromagnetic catapult spotted late last year near the cargo ship "Zhong Da 79" at the Hudong-Zhonghua Shipyard in Shanghai. At the time, Hong Kong's South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported that the equipment could possibly be a ground-based catapult for launching fixed-wing drones without a runway.
On July 2, the SCMP reported that the Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT) had released video of a container-type fixed-wing drone launch through social media on June 30. The video captured three eight-wheeled flatbed trucks connected in a line to form a single launch platform, with a drone accelerating on top of it and taking off. The post has since been deleted.
Some observers suggest the system could be used to rapidly convert civilian cargo ships to military use in a contingency in the Taiwan Strait. The analysis holds that, given China's large merchant fleet, if containerized weapons systems proliferate, ordinary cargo ships could also perform limited military missions such as launching drones or operating missiles.
In theory, the equipment could be placed on a cargo ship with a wide deck to serve as a temporary drone-operating vessel. However, whether the truck-type catapult can operate stably on a ship rocked by waves requires verification. This video is significant in that it at least tested the drone-launch function on the ground.
The Beijing Institute of Technology introduced the released video as part of a "container-type weapon module set." The concept involves creating not only drone launchers but also air-defense, anti-ship, anti-submarine, and land-attack missiles, radars, and electronic warfare systems as container modules of the same specification, which can be loaded onto trucks or ships for transport and operation. In connection with this, the Chinese military is known to be pushing the development of a containerized weapons system family.
The video released this time appears to be an extension of what first emerged in a Chinese-language social media post associated with BIT's School of Mechanical Engineering. When it was disclosed last year, it also appeared in a form connecting four trucks. At the time, a large drone mockup resembling a stealth unmanned combat aircraft was also displayed, drawing attention. The aircraft shown in this video is a smaller and lighter drone than the large drone mockup.
The most striking aspect is the equipment's mobility. Even when combined, the three trucks can change the direction of all their wheels to maneuver, turning as if drawing a circle in a narrow space. This is analyzed as the Chinese research team solving, through the all-wheel steering function, the problem of having to adjust the launch direction to face into a headwind when launching aircraft.
In the video, a cover is installed on top of the trucks to conceal the device during movement. It is interpreted as being designed to protect the launch track from rain and dust while also preventing others from identifying the equipment's purpose. The advantage of an electromagnetic catapult is that it uses electric power to rapidly accelerate aircraft over a short distance. It is easier to finely control force than steam-based systems and can also reduce restart time.
If this catapult is actually implemented on the battlefield, it appears drones could be operated not only on islands and high-altitude areas without fixed runways, but also on ships with deck space. Fu Qianshao, a Chinese aviation and military expert, explained in an interview: "Because a mobile electric catapult can be built simply by connecting trucks, fixed-wing drones can be launched from virtually anywhere."
