Nuclear game changer: China builds crab-walking electric ICBM mobile launcher prototype
In less than two years, scientists have developed a technology that ‘fundamentally overturns’ conventional heavy-vehicle design
The researchers said the vehicle could “crab walk” through tight or obstructed terrain that would defeat conventional launchers and its near-silent operation improved its stealth abilities.
A prototype was unveiled in Beijing on December 21, less than two years after the project was approved in January 2024 as a major initiative under the National Natural Science Foundation of China.
According to the project outline, the researchers set out to develop a technology that could potentially reshape heavy-load logistics, one that could move large rocket bodies, transformers, wind turbines and other massive loads safely and efficiently.
The researchers said the new-configuration prototype was “a world first” that fundamentally overturned conventional design by integrating electric drive with intelligent control.