In recent years, we’ve seen countless advancements in drones—from solar-powered drones designed to fly forever to swarming insect drones built at MIT to help with pollination. However, China’s latest development, a large drone carrier called Jiutian, is undoubtedly one of the most eye-catching drone carriers to date.
The large aircraft, with a wingspan of 25 meters and a length of 16.35 meters (a wingspan of approximately 82 feet and a length of 54 feet), has actually taken off. Its developer, the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), conducted the vehicle’s maiden flight over Shaanxi province in December 2025, about a year after its initial launch.
Since its debut, videos of large drones taking off and landing have continued to appear online, with reports about the aircraft stating that it has a maximum takeoff weight of 16 tons and a payload of 6,000 kilograms. AVIC told CGTN Europe that the ship is expected to operate for up to 12 hours and have a maximum range of 7,000 kilometers. This makes the aircraft ideal for deep-sea missions, and its maximum capacity and designated hardpoints mean it can carry a variety of weapons and can accommodate up to 100 drones.
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Drones designed to carry drones
What makes the Jiutian such an interesting development is that military experts point out that it is designed to take advantage of the design advantages of composite aircraft while also serving as an arsenal aircraft, capable not only of providing reconnaissance but also of striking targets when discovered. This will eliminate potential downtime between reconnaissance and actual strike missions, as the drones aboard the Jiutian can be released immediately when needed.
However, beyond the simple military concept, China also claims that Jiutian can support fully modular payloads, allowing it to perform a variety of roles, such as emergency communications, surveying geographical areas, and providing disaster relief services to remote areas of the world. The basic idea here seems to be that as long as the aircraft can reach the target without running out of energy, then it can provide air coverage, whatever that seems to mean.
Of course, this is just one more way China is expanding its military concepts to include drones, robots, and more. We’ve previously seen the country experiment with rifle-toting robot dogs, as well as motion-controlled military robots designed specifically for long-range combat.
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