China conducted the maiden flight of what is considered to be the world’s largest drone mothership, underscoring its advances in unmanned aerial vehicles capable of unleashing weaponized swarms.
The unmanned Jiutian completed its first mission in the northwestern province of Shaanxi, the official Xinhua News Agency reported Thursday without elaborating. The aerial vehicle has been likened to an aircraft carrier for its ability to host multiple drones and missiles. Jiutian means “nine heavens” — a Chinese term for extremely high skies.
Jiutian was introduced to the public last year at an air show in Zhuhai. The drone can carry up to 6 tons and has eight hardpoints for guided bombs, air-to-air and anti-ship missiles, and kamikaze drones — loitering munitions that wait for targets before crashing into them, typically with explosives.
Its belly can also carry more than 100 small drones designed to launch in swarms to overwhelm enemy air defenses. Its size, however, could reduce its stealth in combat, weapons experts say.
China has made steady progress in unmanned systems, drawing attention with platforms such as its first next-generation amphibious assault ships, considered the largest of their kind.President Xi Jinping showed off the country’s latest combat drones at a military parade in Beijing in September that also highlighted China’s nuclear ambitions and broader efforts to modernize the military and challenge U.S. supremacy.
Meanwhile, China has launched military purges in response to what U.S. intelligence believes is widespread corruption undermining Xi’s ambitions. A major concern appears to be graft that has eroded the quality of the weapons and capabilities of units such as the Rocket Force, which oversees the country’s missiles and nuclear arsenal, and would be instrumental should China invade Taiwan.
Drones have become a focus of weapons development as Russia’s war on Ukraine has highlighted their effectiveness. The low-cost systems can destroy far more expensive equipment, including tanks, ships and even other drones.
China’s drone efforts have benefited from a large manufacturing base that touts the success of civilian firms like DJI and Easy Fly Intelligent Technology (Wuhan).
Jiutian is produced by Xi’an Chida Aircraft Parts Manufacturing, a state-controlled defense firm.
The aircraft will need to undergo a series of operational tests before it joins the rest of the UAV fleet fielded by the People’s Liberation Army.
