China has released footage of a truck-mounted Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS), demonstrating a mobile platform capable of launching fixed-wing drones without the need for a conventional runway, as per a TOI report.
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.
