Inside China’s First Drone “Mothership”

China’s new Jiu Tian “drone mothership,” unveiled at the Zhuhai Air Show and slated for a late-June maiden flight, features an 82-ft wingspan, 4,350 mi range, 15 km ceiling and turbofan propulsion.

Built by AVIC, it can carry six tons of mixed payload—including air-to-air, anti-ship and guided bombs—and unleash up to 100 kamikaze UAVs mid-flight.

Modular bays allow role swaps in under two hours for strike, electronic warfare, rescue or comms relay missions.

Despite its game-changing swarm capability, the giant aircraft’s size makes it vulnerable to modern air defenses like THAAD, Patriot, Aegis BMD and South Korea’s KM-SAM.