Images shared on social media in China showed what many theorize to be an electromagnetic catapult mounted on a truck.
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The drone recordings were made at the Hudong-Zhonghua shipyard in Shanghai and began circulating on the Chinese internet last week, according to a report on the website The War Zone.
While the drones appear covered in the images, it is still possible to get a sense of the overall design of the project. The front landing gear, with clearly visible bars, clearly indicates that the aerial vehicle was designed for catapult launches.
But an even more interesting detail is that new photos from the Hudong-Zhonghua shipyard show at least three eight-wheeled trucks that appear designed to lock perfectly onto a chain.
From the images, we can see that one of the drones is loaded into the back of one of the trucks with its nose gear bar locked onto what appears to be a catapult.
In addition to the cabins at the front, the sides of the trucks are largely open, which makes it possible to notice the elaborate electrical systems with their large amounts of exposed wiring.
We can also see a cylindrical drum above each wheel, which could be part of an independent articulated suspension system capable of self-leveling.
Knowing this, there is the potential that these trucks could be part of a mobile terrestrial electromagnetic catapult system, according to the TWZa theory supported by the cylinders and wiring.
At the same time, they could just be transporters, although the design seems much more elaborate than would be necessary for that purpose alone. There is also the possibility that the trucks were designed to serve both functions.
In any case, the idea of employing a carrier-type catapult launch system on land is not new. Both China and the United States have built land-based steam and electromagnetic catapults for testing, evaluation and training purposes.
One of the main benefits of electromagnetic catapults over steam-powered ones, in general, is their ability to be more tunable in terms of the forces they exert on any given aircraft during launch.
This is a skill that can be especially valuable in expeditionary scenarios or other contexts where access to traditional runways is limited, something very relevant to Chinese military scenarios.
A mobile system would also offer a new way to push at least some level of airpower closer to the front lines and help keep it close, where it could be more responsive, even as battlefield dimensions evolve.
Another general benefit of electromagnetic catapults is shorter reset times. It’s possible that a truck preloaded with a drone could drive, lock to the rear of the runway, launch, and then separate to make way for the next one, offering additional benefits when it comes to operational tempo.
But it’s important to emphasize that the capabilities of a modular system would also depend on its exact configuration, including the overall length of the catapult track, information that has not yet been released about this particular system.
In any case, China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) appears particularly interested in systems suitable for operations in the Pacific, where a land-based electromagnetic catapult system could be particularly relevant.
For now, all we have is information shared by Chinese observers. But Chinese authorities do not appear to have taken any special measures to conceal the recent appearance of the drones or trucks. Therefore, it is expected that we will know more about both systems soon.
Photos: Reproduction. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
