China publicly demonstrated its truck-mounted electromagnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS) for the first time, successfully launching a drone from a modular catapult built from multiple linked trucks.
Three or more trucks connect to form a catapult that can be rapidly assembled and moved.
The catapult is part of a broader family of containerized military systems—including missiles, radars, electronic warfare, and command centers—that can be deployed from ships or land.
It is designed to launch drones where runways don’t exist, such as islands, remote areas, or civilian ships converted into drone carriers.
Chinese sources reportedly aim to produce 2,000 containerized systems annually.