Chinese Container Ship Gets Mobile Launch Track for Drone Fighters
China's effort to adapt merchant ships into naval assets gained attention last month when a Chinese container feeder, the otherwise-unassuming Zhong Da 79, moored in downtown Shanghai with 60 missile launch tubes on deck. The quad-pack containerized launchers suggested a new ability to turn a normal boxship into an arsenal ship in short order, creating one more hull that could support air defense or surface warfare missions (within limitations). But Chinese defense engineers had more in store: Last week, social media images revealed that the vessel has now swapped out most of its containerized vertical launch cells for a very different equipment set - a truck-mounted catapult for launching combat drones.
Chinese fighter drones have been seen before. The PLA's aerospace companies have developed a proliferating array of unmanned fighter aircraft, some specifically built for naval aviation. They are integrated into the PLA Navy's planning, starting with its latest vessel designs.
The truck-mounted mobile launch system seen aboard Zhong Da 79 is new, however. It first appeared alongside the pier at the same terminal in Shanghai in the last few days of December. The system is a back-to-back "train" of conjoined high mobility truck units, each with a top deck and a section of electromagnetic launch rail.
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In photos that surfaced on the Chinese internet last week, it appears that within a matter of days, most of the containerized VLS cells were lifted off the Zhong Da 79's deck to make room. The radar systems installed atop containers near the deckhouse remained in place, as well as the close-in weapons system towards the bow. In place of the missing missile tubes, the truck-mounted launch rail system was moved from the dock onto the ship, with a single drone fighter mounted atop the rail.
This launch platform is quite short compared with a carrier's deck, measuring just 120-150 feet in length. Its dimensions match Zhong Da 79's limited deck space; a larger ship would have room for a larger number of modular launch trucks, and perhaps a fuller implementation of the concept. Even so, the display aboard the small container feeder in Shanghai provided ample publicity - as first noted by The War Zone.