Conventional rockets rely on chemical explosives or fuel but the new rockets will be launched using additional electromagnetic force, similar to the catapult launchers that China and the United States are developing for their next-generation aircraft carriers. The same technology is also used to develop rail guns.
Missiles usually have a greater fire range and better manoeuvrability, rocket artilleries are cheaper and could be fired in cluster salvoes to overwhelm a target.
The report suggested that the new electromagnetic rockets could be deployed in Tibet. With possibly hundreds of kilometres of range, from there they would be able to strike the heartland of India.
China has widely deployed 300mm PHL-03 rockets, modified from the Soviet BM-30. Those have a flight range of around 150km (about 93 miles).
Although the actual range of the electromagnetic rocket being developed is unknown, it is believed to be much longer than any of the existing types.
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