Is China’s truck-mounted catapult system enabling merchant aircraft carriers?

Pictures have emerged in China that appear to show a truck-mounted electromagnetic catapult system for large drones on a cargo ship apparently converted for military use, triggering speculation on social media platforms.

Some images circulating online since the weekend show three linked eight-wheeled low-loader trucks in a line with a large combat drone mounted on a shuttle-like fixture at the rear.

The configuration appears to form a ground-based launch track with visible details suggesting an electromagnetic propulsion system that could provide a runway-independent launching capability for fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

The cargo ship Zhong Da 79, with the three linked eight-wheeled low loaders and large drones visible on the dock. Photo: Handout

Latest photos emerging on Wednesday showed the trucks, in separate segments, had been loaded onto the deck of the cargo ship Zhong Da 79. The same vessel attracted attention earlier in December when it was spotted carrying containerised vertical missile launchers, radar sensors and self-defence systems.

The trucks were positioned for loading at the Hudong-Zhonghua shipyard in Shanghai near China’s first Type 076 amphibious assault ship, the Sichuan, which has been berthed after initial sea trials. The Sichuan features an integrated electromagnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS) on its flight deck, potentially making it a “drone carrier”.

On Wednesday, most of the weapon containers on the Zhong Da 79 had been removed, clearing space on the deck. The trucks were photographed in front of some remaining containers, and their dimensions appeared to be compatible with those container sizes.

Close-up images showed the inscription “containerised weapon module development suite” visible on the containers aboard the ship.

The merchant vessel’s modifications to support military payloads seem to indicate that China is testing modular defence capabilities that could be rapidly deployed on civilian platforms.

South China Morning Post