China might have secretly built the world’s first dedicated drone aircraft carrier, according to media reports.
The report, published by the military website Naval News, shows satellite images of the drone carrier at the Jiangsu Dayang Marine Shipyard on the Yangtze River in China.
It also mentions observations from J. Michael Dahm, Senior Resident Fellow at the Mitchell Institute, who monitors China’s security forces’ activities and developments.
This is China’s fourth carrier, and details about it have been meager. It is important to note that China’s third carrier – Fujian – is currently undergoing sea trials.
Fujian is China’s largest and most capable carrier, a Type-003 vessel, but the new drone carrier has a very different exterior and is built to meet specific demands.
The new drone carrier is not larger than Fujian; in fact, it’s smaller than regular aircraft carriers.
The Naval News report states that its flight deck “is approximately one-third the length and half the width of a US Navy or Chinese Navy (PLAN) super carrier.”
The most apparent feature of the carrier that hints at it being a dedicated drone carrier is the lack of space for an aircraft hangar; this would limit the number of typical aircraft on the vessel. However, this shortcoming is a small one for a vessel aimed at carrying and operating drones.
The drone carrier’s straight deck arrangement might make simultaneous landing and takeoff from the vessel difficult. However, this shouldn’t be a big challenge for several drones that use vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) technology.
It has a marked runway along the left and an “island superstructure” on the right. The report mentions that the carrier’s hull is a ‘widely shaped catamaran.’
Further analysis reveals that the carrier’s flight deck is very low, making it difficult to have a hangar deck below. This makes the case for a dedicated drone carrier even more strong.
However, the report also mentions that the aircraft carrier’s build suggests it is not built for prolonged operations.
The flight deck comfortably allows operations of aircraft or drones with a wingspan of around 65 feet (20 meters). This allows several large Chinese recon and attack drones to take off and land comfortably from the deck.
Dahm states that the Jiangsu Dayang Marine shipyard has previously built many ships for the Chinese Navy, including high-tech target barges and two large drone motherships.
The Chinese shipyard also has experience in simulating Western navy ships for the country’s weapon testing program.
However, the drone carrier is a first-of-its-kind and is not a simulation. It also might be possible that it is being built to test and develop unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operations at sea.
It remains to be seen whether the drone carrier is indeed a part of the Chinese military’s plan or is simply meant for research and development purposes.
Whatever the case, the vessel has definitely piqued the interest of Western nations, and its development will be closely monitored in the days ahead.
Abhishek Bhardwaj Abhishek brings a wealth of experience in covering diverse stories across different beats. Having contributed to renowned wire agencies and Indian media outlets like ANI and NDTV, he is keenly interested in Tech, Business and Defense coverage.
