As the world steadily advances toward surprising military innovations, China appears to be at the forefront of multiple domains. In addition to its development of sixth-generation fighter jets like the J-36 and J-50, underwater unmanned vehicles, and conflict-specific landing craft, China recently unveiled a new aerial platform known as the Jiutian SS-UAV — a flying drone carrier.
This platform can deploy and coordinate swarms of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) remotely, to conduct combat missions, reconnaissance, and long-range air support with high efficiency. Unlike traditional sea-based aircraft carriers, the Jiutian SS-UAV is an airborne mothership capable of staying aloft for extended periods and rapidly deploying drones over wide areas.
This study aims to highlight the technical specifications of the Jiutian SS-UAV and explain its operational capabilities and added value to air warfare.
Moreover, it examines its key strategic implications as the first operational flying drone carrier — particularly its potential to accelerate competition in the field of mothership drones.
The Jiutian SS-UAV and its impact on Air Warfare
The Jiutian SS-UAV is a large platform with a wingspan of 25 metres and a length of 16 metres, featuring an H-shaped tail. Its turbofan engine is designed to reduce heat signature and fuel consumption. The UAV can carry up to six tonnes – comprising swarms of between 100 to 200 smaller drones, munitions, or a combination of both. It includes eight hardpoints under its wings and a central “Isomerism Hive Module.”
Its ability to deploy dozens of drones into combat zones is currently unique. These swarms can be launched in waves or all at once to overwhelm enemy defences, perform suicide missions, gather intelligence, conduct electronic warfare, or extend communications networks.
Another advantage is the mothership’s ability to operate at altitudes up to 15,000 metres, allowing it to avoid most medium-range air defence systems. With a maximum speed of 700 km/h and a flight endurance of 36 hours using hydrogen fuel, it offers remarkable persistence. The Jiutian SS-UAV also uses quantum encryption for secure communications and features stealth coatings to reduce radar detection.
Far from being just an airborne drone carrier, it functions as a multi-role combat UAV capable of ISR (intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance) missions and precision strikes using bombs or guided missiles. It is equipped with eight pods that can carry air-to-air defensive missiles, anti-ship missiles, long-range guided bombs, or electronic warfare systems, enabling operations in highly contested environments. To achieve this versatility, the Jiutian SS-UAV’s eight hardpoints support a range of payloads, including:
Unmanned aerial vehicles
Precision-guided munitions
Electronic warfare equipment
Surveillance and targeting sensors
As a mothership, it also serves as a command centre, coordinating semi-autonomous drone swarms using advanced AI systems. Essentially, it is a high-altitude, long-endurance platform designed to function as a flying base.
Key Military Operational Capabilities
Long-range reconnaissance and surveillance
Precision target identification
Electronic warfare
Networked coordination with other UAVs
Beyond military roles, the Jiutian SS-UAV could be used in civilian applications such as border monitoring, search and rescue, disaster response, maritime surveillance, and resource mapping.
Non-Combat Applications
Border, land, and resource-rich area monitoring
Search and rescue missions
Disaster response and management
Maritime airspace surveillance to support coast guard operations
Strategic Implications: Rising Competition to Develop Mothership Drones
The Jiutian SS-UAV is not merely a technological feat but a strategic asset that strengthens China’s presence in the field of high-altitude, long-endurance UAVs (HALE). It reinforces China’s influence over regional military dynamics, particularly in sensitive areas like the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea. This platform also fits into China’s broader goal of multi-domain readiness and polyvalent military technology, positioning it competitively against U.S. unmanned systems.
By joining other advanced Chinese platforms — such as the stealth-capable CH-7 and the anti-submarine Wing Loong-X — the Jiutian SS-UAV reflects a desire to maintain a diverse and powerful UAV fleet. Its strategic deployment could shift regional power balances, prompting neighbouring countries and their allies to reconsider and adapt their defence strategies.
Globally, the concept of flying mothership drones is attracting increasing attention. Although the idea itself is not entirely new, the Jiutian SS-UAV is the first to be fully developed and operational. The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), for instance, has worked for years on the “Gremlins” program, which involves launching drones from bombers, transport aircraft, or even smaller fighter jets outside enemy air defences. These drones are then retrieved mid-air by a C-130 transport aircraft and prepared for reuse within 24 hours.
Other nations, such as Switzerland, have also pursued similar concepts since 2024. The Swiss army formed the Task Force Drone (TFD), led by Urs Loher (Director of Armaments), Thomas Süssli (Commander of the Armed Forces), and Daniel Büchel (Secretary General for Civil Protection), in collaboration with Armasuisse. Their project aims to develop an unmanned aerial platform capable of transporting and deploying improvised attack drones or mobile munitions over distances exceeding 300 km.
In Ukraine, the GOGOL-M project — developed by the startup Strategy Force Solutions (StratForce) — successfully tested AI-guided mothership drones capable of launching autonomous strikes up to 300 km away, inside Russian-controlled territory. These low-cost UAVs offer significant savings compared to conventional missiles, performing coordinated attacks for about $10,000 each, versus millions for traditional systems.
The GOGOL-M uses StratForce’s SmartPilot system, integrating advanced sensors such as LIDAR and high-resolution cameras. This enables drones to navigate complex terrain autonomously, accurately identify targets and make real-time decisions without GPS or continuous human control.
These capabilities allow missions ranging from direct strikes to search-and-destroy operations and tactical ambushes — where drones can land near targets, wait, and then attack aircraft on runways or convoys on roads.
Conclusion
Some military experts, particularly Western analysts, see significant operational challenges ahead for the Jiutian SS-UAV, especially in heavily defended areas like the Taiwan Strait where advanced allied missile systems are deployed. Others question the technical feasibility of launching 100–200 drones from a single platform under electronic warfare conditions, suggesting that these numbers may remain aspirational for now.
Sceptics also argue that such a large airborne platform could become an easy target if it focuses solely on launching suicide drones over the battlefield. Modern radar and air defence systems could quickly detect and neutralise it.
Nonetheless, the concept of the flying drone carrier — or mothership drone — marks a qualitative shift in modern airpower. It moves away from the traditional idea of air superiority towards a networked, unmanned, multi-role approach that emphasises numbers, flexibility, and smart coordination.
By combining the mothership and its drones into a single, integrated system, militaries gain greater deterrence, faster response capabilities, and cost-effective multi-mission performance — better suited to today’s rapidly changing battlefields.
Ultimately, the rise of such advanced UAV platforms raises fundamental questions about the future of warfare and the growing role of autonomy and AI in combat. The Jiutian SS-UAV offers a glimpse into a future shaped by more independent, technologically sophisticated strategies — and signals that the era of unmanned aerial warfare may be closer than many expect.●
By: Professor Wael Saleh (Expert at TRENDS Research and Advisory)
