China turns cargo ship into drone carrier with mobile EMALS launcher

A Chinese cargo ship, previously seen configured as a missile-carrying warship with around 60 containerized missile launch cells, has been rapidly reconfigured into a multi-role drone carrier equipped with a modular, road-mobile electromagnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS). New imagery from Shanghai’s Hudong-Zhonghua shipyard shows the EMALS installed on the ship’s deck, marking a significant shift in its role from an arsenal-style surface combatant to a platform capable of launching large, fixed-wing combat drones. The EMALS system consists of multiple truck-mounted segments that link together to form a scalable launch track, allowing flexibility in length based on aircraft size and deck space. The ship retains some missile launch cells, a Type 1130 close-in weapon system, phased-array radar, and containerized sensors, indicating a blend of offensive and defensive capabilities. This development aligns with the People’s Liberation Army Navy’s ongoing experimentation with unconventional platforms and modular combat systems, as seen alongside the new Type 076 amphib