Aircraft
China Explores Electromagnetic Carrier Launch System
Land tests of an EMALS seen, amidst talk of a third indigenous aircraft carrier.
A J-15 lands on the Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning, carrying a YJ-83K anti-ship missile.  Inset: The J-15T prototype attached with holding rods similar to Western EMAL systems.
A J-15 lands on the Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning, carrying a YJ-83K anti-ship missile. Inset: The J-15T prototype attached with holding rods similar to Western EMAL systems.

A recently released photo on the Chinese Internet has furthered speculation that the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has begun trials of an electromagnetic (EM) catapult launch system, known as electromagnetic aircraft launching system (EMALS) in the West. It was previously rumored that China had successfully constructed its first EMALS in November 2016, but there were no official reports or pictures at the time.