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As militaries across the world try to dominate the skies, China has unleashed its unmanned aerial “mother ship”, capable of launching and coordinating over 100 drones in a single mission.

Jiu Tian, China’s drone carrier, will take off its first mission by the end of June, marking the beginning of a series of tests before the “drone mother ship” UAV is deployed by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), as per Chinese media reports.

What Is Jiu Tian?

Jiu Tian, which translates to “high sky” is a super-high altitude, long-range UAV that debuted at China’s premier Zhuhai air show in November.

It has a maximum range of 7,000 km and an altitude of 15,000 metres (50,000 feet), and can carry up to 6 tonnes of ammunition and small drones.

The jet-powered drone has a maximum take-off weight of 16 tonnes, a wingspan of 25 metres and an ability to fly above many of the medium-range defense systems that are deployed worldwide.

Reports suggest that up to 100 units of loitering ammunition or small drones, including kamikaze UAVs, can be released from both sides of the belly of the aircraft – extending their reach.

How Jiu Tian Will Add To China’s Military Capabilities

The deployment of Jiu Tian will contribute to the PLA’s capabilities – in which a large group of networked drones are released to work together on military missions or to overwhelm the enemy’s air-defense systems.

The aircraft reportedly features eight external hardpoints for carrying a diverse array of payloads. These include surveillance drones, kamikaze UAVs, cruise missiles and medium-range air-to-air missiles such as the PL-12E.

According to the manufacturer, Chinese aerospace firm Jiutian, the Jiu Tian’s interior has a modular design, which allows for rapid reconfiguration depending on the mission — whether it involves military strike operations, border defense, public security, maritime surveillance, emergency rescue or high-risk logistics transport.

Should We Be Worried?

China’s announcement of the “mother ship” drone comes when threats towards Taiwan have increased.

China’s assertive posture towards Taiwan — which Beijing views as a breakaway province — has fueled concerns among analysts and policymakers about the regional applications of such advanced drone technology.

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.”

While the new UAV has yet to be deployed, its potential use across the Taiwan Strait could significantly complicate defense planning for the US and its allies.

The heavyweight Jiu Tian carrier not only adds to China’s stock of advanced drone technology, such as the stealth combat CH-7 and the medium-altitude, anti-submarine Wing Loong-X, some see it as a potential rival to the America’s RQ-4 Global Hawk and the MQ-9 Reaper drone models.

While those American models specialize in strategic surveillance and multirole missions, neither is currently capable of launching coordinated drone swarms.

Jiutian’s concept is also seen as building on the legacy of programs like DARPA’s “Gremlins” initiative in the US, which explored using mother ships to launch and retrieve smaller UAVs, reported online defense and security magazine Army Recognition.

How China Is Modernizing Its Army

In December, the US Department of Defense (DoD) released a 182-page report on China’s military. The report mentioned about China’s rapid expansion and modernization of its nuclear force, in case of a potential war with the United States. DoD estimates that China has over 600 operational nuclear warheads, up from 500 last year, and estimates that China will have over 1,000 nuclear warheads by 2030.

China completed construction of three new missile fields with 320 silos for intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and is developing new, more survivable ICBMs, the report added.

China is also developing fractional orbital bombardment systems and hypersonic glide vehicles, with Beijing now possessing “the world’s leading hypersonic missile arsenal,” the report added, quoted by the Centre on Foreign Relations (CFR).

The report noted the PLA Navy (PLAN) “maintains its surface fleet at high readiness with an emphasis on enabling a surge capacity to respond to regional contingencies…The PLAN’s submarine fleet is similarly positioned to maintain high readiness…”

The PLAN is numerically the largest navy in the world, with 370 ships and submarines, while DoD projects it will have 395 ships by 2025 and 435 by 2030.

The report also said China’s military modernization remains focused on Taiwan. It noted that China’s leadership views unification with Taiwan as a fundamental condition of national rejuvenation, which must be accomplished by 2049.

Source

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