- Video shows China’s road mobile electromagnetic catapult launching aircraft for the first time
- The images come from a now-deleted social media post from the School of Mechanical Engineering at the Beijing Institute of Technology.
- Leverages existing EMALS technology in China by miniaturizing what it already uses on its aircraft carrier
China appears to have solved one of the biggest challenges facing modern drones: deploying without a landing strip anywhere on the planet, thanks to a miniaturized version of the EMALS catapults found on its new aircraft carrier.
A short video clip that surfaced late last month, taken from a social media post by the School of Mechanical Engineering at Beijing Institute of Technology, shows three eight-wheeled trucks connected together Lego-style to form a track for a propeller-driven drone to take flight.
The images also show the three detached trucks, coupled together and featuring integral steering which, in principle, allows them, if given enough space, to launch drones or small planes in any direction.
Replacing an airstrip on the modern battlefield?
China’s move did not happen in a vacuum: The United States was the first country in the world to deploy an electromagnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS), sparking an arms race when it launched its first aircraft in 2017 aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford.
China followed suit with its own aircraft carrier, the Fujian, equipped with three EMALS catapults compared to the United States’ four, which perhaps explains the smaller size of the Chinese carrier compared to the larger of its main naval rival.
China has, however, edged out the United States when it comes to demonstrating portable EMALS, it seems, with its three-truck solution essentially marking a first for either country.
China’s state-owned giants make up a significant portion of the more than 70 organizations directly involved in an impressive achievement that paves the way for the next generation of drone combat.
Although the video made its way onto social media, it was taken down by the School of Mechanical Engineering at Beijing Institute of Technology, which originally posted it. The move, however, has not stopped Chinese defense forums and analysts from providing insight into what is clearly a major technological achievement for the country.
While France and India have both committed to launching EMALS (albeit on future aircraft carriers for now), only two countries currently have the technology deployed on a ship, and only one of those has a land-based, portable option so far: China.
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