Introducing Jiutian drone swarm carrier – a sci-fi level engineering marvel

China's new Killer Drone – not the Ukraine Russia variety, but the true high end technology for future unmanned air conflict

The surprise Ukrainian attack on Russia strategic airfields caused quite a bit social media discussions in China. Two take-aways stand out –

1. The daring and audacity of the Ukrainian attack – it indeed inflicted damage and embarrassment on the Russians though the victory could well prove pyrrhic if Russia retaliates as expected

2. The low tech involved in the attack was laughable – if this is the leading edge of western drone capabilities, it is going to have a major wake-up call in a true high end conflict with China

As western media breathlessly report the “sophisticated” surprise attack with FPV drones remotely launched from wooden cabins on top of lorry trucks, few of the reporters are even aware that BYD, China’s EV maker, rolled out its Yangwang U8 electric SUV in 2024 with a drone hangar mounted on the roof that can launch a DJI drone with a push of a button on the dashboard control screen.

BYD is not alone in having such a EV/drone combo. Fang Cheng Baobao SUV also comes with a drone in a roof hangar.

The PLA Army has fielded light weight military utility vehicles with roof-launched drones near the India China border for years with both ISR and strike capabilities.

Chinese social media has long posited that the Ukraine Russia drone war is basically fought with consumer-grade parts, components, and software that anyone with a modest budget can source from a large electronics mall in the Huaqiang district of Shenzhen (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huaqiangbei), where you can get a variety of electronics goods from smart phones to drones to LIDAR.

The 8^th Drone World Congress 2024 in Shenzhen attracted over 2,000 drone makers from China and 470 from Shenzhen alone. Apart from the well-known aerial photography drones such as DJI and Autel, many specialize in agricultural and industrial applications, fire fighting and rescue, geological surveys, etc.

As for military drones, China has developed a large arsenal of ISR and strike models such as the Rainbow series (with the prefix CH), the GJ series of strike drones, and the WZ series of ISR/strike drones, families of military drones that feature supersonic and even hypersonic speed, long endurance, and high altitude.

In my earlier articles on Substack, I have talked about the CH-T1 Ground Effect Drone for aircraft carrier and land attacks, CH-9 stealth AI-powered strike drone with 10,000 km range, CH-5 long range stealth bomber, WZ-7 Soaring Dragon air-breathing hypersonic HALE UAV with 7,000 km range and equipped with anti-ship ballistic and cruise missiles, WZ-9 Divine Eagle airborne early warning drone that flies at extreme high altitude, and most recently, the incredible MD-19 Mach 9 hypersonic strike drone that can fly at near-space altitude, has a 8,000 km range, and can land on standard runway (https://huabinoliver.substack.com/p/md-19-another-chinese-military-aerial).

For the kind of drone swarm attack Ukraine launched on Russian airfields, China has just tested the new Jiutian unmanned aircraft, now referred to in the military circle as the world’s first “drone mothership”. With the introduction of Jiutian (meaning “nine heavens” in Chinese), China has started an entirely new category of military aircraft – manned or unmanned.

Jiutian is designed as a high altitude long endurance (HALE) UAV with a 7,000 kilometre range and 15,000 meter operational altitude, and has the capacity to carry 100 small drones which it can launch while airborne. It can alternatively carry a range of other precision guided weapons, including cruise missiles and loitering munitions.

It is powered by a jet engine and has a 16 ton take-off weight and can carry 6 tons weight of drones or other ammunitions. Its flight ceiling of 15,000 meters ensures its safe flight over most medium-range defence systems that are deployed worldwide.

First unveiled at the Zhuhai Airshow in November 2024 (https://huabinoliver.substack.com/p/some-observations-about-the-zhuhai), Jiutian is intended to serve not only as a launch platform for drone swarms, but also as a control node for the UAVs after they launch. No comparable aircraft are known to be developed anywhere in the world.

Its payload of 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. The longest Ukrainian drone attack happened 4,000 km from its border with Russia. Jiutian can fly almost twice the distance into enemy territory and release the drones right over targets.

In addition to its UAV carrier function, Jiutian can carry a range of payloads on eight weapon hardpoints and is capable of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assignments, as well as electronic warfare. It will serve as AI-powered unmanned command hub that coordinates the drone swarm.

As the first flying aircraft carrier in the world, Jiutian has the potential to be followed into service by even larger drone carriers deploying larger quantities of drones or larger drone classes.

Jiutian’s development follows a broader trend towards China’s drone industry leading the world in introducing entirely new kinds of unmanned aerial vehicles for military use.

In comparison to US unmanned systems, while the RQ-4 Global Hawk surpasses Jiutian in altitude and reconnaissance, it lacks strike capability. The MQ-9 Reaper offers strike and ISR flexibility but is limited by a lower operational altitude and a 5-ton maximum take-off weight. Of course, neither has the drone carrier capability that is the defining feature of Jiutian.

As a unique new member of China’s military drone family, Jiutian is not just a technological marvel; it is a strategic asset in China’s military arsenal in future networked air combat environment.

The introduction of Jiutian drone carrier marks a pivotal moment in military aviation history, poised to revolutionize air combat strategy for the 21^st century.