To simplify the system configuration and improve the utilization of energy, the distributed-energy-storage rail launcher and the segmented rail launcher were analyzed and compared based on the basic principle of rail launcher. An improved electromagnetic rail launcher was proposed and simulation analyses for the improved rail launcher were made. In this improved rail launcher, 3D arrangement rail, less circuit switches and a new connection mode of the rail and the source are used. The results show that the improved electromagnetic rail launcher has not only high power efficiency, being 3 times that of a conventional rail launcher, but a small volume of the energy storage module.