A new Chinese drone carrier that can release up to 100 smaller drones at a time could take to the skies for a test flight within days, state broadcaster CCTV has said.
The unmanned “drone mothership,” known as Jiu Tian or Nine Heavens, will be deployed by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) air force and aims to lay the groundwork to expand the reach of aerial combat.
When it is fully operational, Jiu Tian will release vast swarms of drones that would work together to overwhelm an enemy’s air defence systems.
A video circulating on X shows a visualisation of Jiu Tian’s capabilities and its ability to deploy several drones at the same time from both sides of its fuselage.
The jet-powered drone will first undergo a series of tests before it is fully deployed by the Chinese air force.
The super-high altitude Jiu Tian can carry up to six tonnes of ammunition and smaller drones, the UAV has a maximum range of 7,000 kilometres.
Jiu Tian is the latest addition to China’s rapidly developing arsenal of advanced drone technology, with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) becoming increasingly critical on the modern battlefield.
The new Chinese “drone mothership” is being seen as a rival to established US models like the RQ-4 Global Hawk and the MQ-9 Reaper, according to an article published in the South China Morning Post.
Jiu Tian was designed by the state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China and constructed by Xi’an Chida Aircraft Parts Manufacturing.
The manufacturer says Jiu Tian’s design allows the drone to carry out several different functions such as high-security transport, border defence and emergency rescue operations.
Its announcement comes as China seeks to ramp up its military capabilities, a military build-up that has been closely watched around the world, particularly following repeated threats to annex Taiwan.
China sees democratically-ruled Taiwan as a breakaway province that must be brought under mainland control, by force if necessary.
Marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te said, “Today, 80 years later, we share the same values ​​and face similar challenges as many of the democracies that participated in the European war.”
