China Unveils Game-Changing First Drone 'Mothership'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
China's new drone "mothership" is set to take flight, according to the country's state broadcaster, which touted the aircraft as a game changer in drone warfare.
Observers, however, have noted key vulnerabilities and said the behemoth, teased at China's flagship air show in November, amounts to "propaganda."
Newsweek contacted the Pentagon for comment by email.
Why It Matters
The People's Liberation Army continues its rapid buildup, with an eye to supplanting the U.S. as the leading military power in the Asia-Pacific. Its warship count now exceeds the U.S. Navy's, and it possesses growing anti-access/area-denial capabilities, such as its vast missile fleet.
China has also been investing heavily in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and swarm technologies in a bid to achieve air superiority in a wartime scenario—for instance, an invasion of Beijing-claimed Taiwan.
This image, shared by Chinese state media on May 17, shows the Jiu Tian unmanned drone carrier, which is set to take flight in late June.
This image, shared by Chinese state media on May 17, shows the Jiu Tian unmanned drone carrier, which is set to take flight in late June.
China Central Television
What To Know
Built by the state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China, the Jiu Tian drone has a wingspan of 82 feet and runs on a turbofan engine, China Central Television said in a Saturday broadcast.
It has a maximum range of 4,350 miles and a 15-kilometer (9.3 miles) ceiling, and it can exceed 435 miles per hour.
What sets the aircraft apart is its ability to launch smaller drones mid-flight from both sides of its fuselage.
With a maximum payload of six tons, it can carry up to 100 small UAVs, including loitering drones—shown in a computer-animated promotional video pouring out of the plane like bees from a hive.
China's Jiutian SS-UAV: Game-Changing 'Drone Mothership' Set for Maiden Flight
China is preparing to test its next-generation unmanned aerial system, the Jiutian SS-UAV, a massive high-altitude 'mothership' designed to deploy swarms of attack drones and precision-guided… pic.twitter.com/T89eNkP3Vx — Indo-Pacific News - Geo-Politics & Defense (@IndoPac_Info) May 19, 2025
In addition to swarm-launching, the drone can be armed with a mix of air-to-air, anti-ship and air-to-ground missiles, as well as 1,000-kilogram (about 2,200-pound) guided bombs.
The Jiu Tian is also built for modularity. Its payloads can be swapped out in under two hours, depending on the mission—electronic warfare, strike and support, emergency rescue—making it suitable for a range of civilian and military roles.
It can also serve as a communications relay for the smaller drones it launches, allowing remote operators to control them from behind the front lines using a man-in-the-loop system. That could let short-range drones operate well beyond their typical limits.
Still, the drone carrier's size presents a tempting target for modern air defense systems, meaning it would likely need to rely on air suppression support.
Additionally, even at its stated maximum altitude, the drone would be well within the range of several modern air-defense systems, including the U.S.'s THAAD and Patriot PAC-3, Taiwan's Sky Bow III, Japan's Aegis BMD, and South Korea's KM-SAM Block II.
What People Have Said
User @MCCCANM, a self-described former U.S. Air Force instructor with 30,000 followers, wrote on X, formerly Twitter: "I'm not a fighter pilot, but this is like trying to sneak into near-peer enemy airspace with a formation of KC-10s [retired tanker and cargo aircraft]. It's not remotely survivable...a gigantic missile magnet. This is just classic propaganda."
What Happens Next
The "mothership" will conduct its first test flight at the end of June, CCTV reported.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Why Tesla Stock Plunged Today
Sales data continue to show that Tesla is losing market share globally. CEO Elon Musk's very public split with President Trump and other Republicans could come back to bite Tesla. Musk and Tesla could benefit from his relationship with Trump as self-driving cars become more common. These 10 stocks could mint the next wave of millionaires › It's an interesting time to be a Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) shareholder. CEO Elon Musk has stepped away from his leadership role in President Trump's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) cost-cutting effort. The timing was presumably good, as Tesla is preparing to launch its robotaxi technology in Austin. Yet Tesla stock dove 5% this morning. As of 11:40 a.m. ET, shares of the electric vehicle (EV) leader are still lower by 3.2%. The drop likely comes for two reasons. First, data on Tesla EV sales continue to show declines. German sales fell 36% year over year in May. That drop came even as overall EV sales jumped nearly 45%. The competitive Chinese market looks to be getting tougher, too. May shipments from Tesla's Chinese factory declined 15% year over year. Investors have been overlooking some of the drop in Tesla sales this year, though, as the revamped Model Y makes its way through production to increase availability for those waiting for the remodel. Another concern has investors selling Tesla stock today. Musk has started very publicly splitting with President Trump and other Republicans over the spending bill making its way through Congress. That could have ramifications as Musk lobbies regulators for a federal approach to autonomous driving rules. Self-driving cars being regulated state by state would be a major headache for Musk and Tesla. Tesla's Full Self-Driving launch in Texas is expected by the end of this month, and Musk has openly said much of Tesla's value is in that technology. His relationship with Trump could have helped him standardize regulations on the technology. A fissure in the relationship could become a barrier. That has investors nervous today, and they're keeping their eyes on Musk and his interactions with leaders in Washington. Ever feel like you missed the boat in buying the most successful stocks? Then you'll want to hear this. On rare occasions, our expert team of analysts issues a 'Double Down' stock recommendation for companies that they think are about to pop. If you're worried you've already missed your chance to invest, now is the best time to buy before it's too late. And the numbers speak for themselves: Nvidia: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2009, you'd have $366,219!* Apple: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2008, you'd have $38,589!* Netflix: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2004, you'd have $656,825!* Right now, we're issuing 'Double Down' alerts for three incredible companies, available when you join , and there may not be another chance like this anytime soon.*Stock Advisor returns as of June 2, 2025 Howard Smith has positions in Tesla. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Tesla. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Why Tesla Stock Plunged Today was originally published by The Motley Fool
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Chinese hackers broke into US telecom earlier than previously known, Bloomberg reports
(Reuters) -Corporate investigators found evidence that Chinese hackers broke into a U.S. telecommunications company in the summer of 2023, indicating the hackers penetrated the U.S. communications system earlier than previously known, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday. Investigators working for the telecommunications firm discovered last year that malware used by Chinese state-backed hacking groups was on the company's systems for seven months starting in the summer of 2023, Bloomberg reported, citing two people familiar with the matter and a document.
New York Post
2 hours ago
- New York Post
Taylor Swift unseated as world's youngest self-made female billionaire — by a hard-partying, 30-year-old college dropout
Taylor Swift has been unseated as the world's youngest self-made female billionaire, according to Forbes — by a 30-year-old, hard-partying college dropout who has reaped a windfall from the artificial intelligence boom. Lucy Guo — a self-professed workaholic who rides an electric skateboard to work when she's not being chauffeured by an assistant — has a net worth of $1.3 billion, according to Forbes' list of America's Richest Self-Made Women released on Wednesday. Guo took Swift's title of world's youngest self-made woman billionaire in April, when it was reported that Scale AI — the firm she co-founded with Alexandr Wang in 2016 when she was just 21 and he was 19 — had been valued at $25 billion in a deal set to close by June 1. Advertisement 5 Lucy Guo became the world's youngest self-made billionaire in April. Getty Images for Sinan Tuna The tender offer has not been finalized yet, but it is expected to close at that valuation in a few weeks, a source familiar with the matter told The Post. The daughter of Chinese immigrants, Guo was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she quickly picked up coding in middle school. She dropped out of Carnegie Mellon University as she clinched a $100,000 entrepreneurial scholarship bankrolled by billionaire investor Peter Thiel. She took a job in 2015 at Quora, where she met Wang, and later worked at Snapchat for a brief period as the company's first female designer. Advertisement At Scale AI, Guo ran the operations and production design teams – until Wang, who took the chief executive position, reportedly fired her after the two sparred over how the company should be run. 'We had a difference of opinion but I am proud of what Scale AI has accomplished,' Guo told the tech news site The Information last year. Still, Guo kept most of her 5% stake in Scale AI, which is worth approximately $1.2 billion, according to Forbes. The firm labels data used by tech giants like OpenAI and Alphabet to train their chatbots. Advertisement 5 Taylor Swift has been dethroned as the youngest self-made woman The Recording Academy With 'a swanky apartment in Miami' and a house in Los Angeles, Guo has admitted she never buys groceries or cooks, instead ordering all of her meals from Uber Eats. She says she works at least eight hours a day when on vacation and has boasted about taking two Barry's bootcamp fitness classes a day. She frequently attends techno raves. 'A lot of people don't like me because, honestly, I seem like an a–hole online. I would not like me on the internet,' she told The Post in 2022. 'But I've made a lot of friends because I think people appreciate my savage personality.' Advertisement The Post previously reported on her massive collection of Pokemon paraphernalia — including slippers, stuffed animals, artwork and a Swarovski-crystal necklace. 5 Lucy Guo said she commutes to work via electric skateboard or a chauffeured drive from her assistant. Sonya Revell for The New York Po She now runs Passes, a content creation platform that has been dubbed the family-friendly version of OnlyFans and Patreon, claiming to 'make millionaires' by allowing creators to hold onto 90% of their earnings. Passes reaped $40 million last year in a Series A funding round, according to Fortune — allowing Guo to fund her lavish party-girl lifestyle. But now Passes and Guo are facing allegations that the platform allowed child pornography in a class action suit filed in February. The bombshell suit accuses Alec Celestin, an agent at Passes, and Lani Ginoza, the site's director of talent, of knowingly allowing sexually explicit content featuring OnlyFans model Alice Rosenblum — who was underage at the time — to circulate on Passes. 5 The self-made billionaire said she never cooks her own meals or buys groceries. Sonya Revell for The New York Po 'Guo personally intervened to override Passes' strict internal safety controls tailored for creators of social media content aged between 15 and 17 years old to strip and deprive Plaintiff of any protections offered by Passes against the exploitation of a minor,' the complaint alleged. Advertisement Just before the suit was filed, Passes banned all underage creators and wiped the site of their content, according to Forbes. Lawyers for Guo filed a motion in April to dismiss the suit, which they slammed as a defamatory attempt to 'pursue the 'deep pockets' of Passes, a successful startup, and its wealthy founder.' 'This lawsuit is part of an orchestrated attempt to defame Passes and Ms. Guo, and these claims have no basis in reality,' Rollo Baker of Elsberg Baker & Mauriri told The Post. 5 Lucy Guo said she attends two Barry's workout classes a day and frequently attends techno raves. Getty Images for Passes Advertisement 'Ms. Guo and Passes categorically reject the baseless allegations made against them in the lawsuit, which was only filed against them after they rejected a $15 million payment demand.' In between founding Scale AI and Passes, Guo started a small investment firm known as Backend Capital. Guo landed at No. 26 on Forbes' list of America's Richest Self-Made Women, while Swift came in at spot 21. Advertisement Swift still holds the title of world's richest female musician with a net worth of $1.6 billion, after her blowout-success international 'Eras Tour' pushed her into billionaire status in October 2023. Diane Hendricks took the top spot, with a $22.3 billion net worth thanks to her company ABC Supply, one of the largest distributors of roofing, siding and windows in the country.
