China unveils the Mother of all drones at Chinese airshow

The age of drones on the battlefield is upon us. Following the Ukraine-Russia war, the world has witnessed a rapid evolution in the types of drones used - they have been used for attacks, logistics, and reconnaissance. At the recently concluded Zhuhai air show, China, having already unveiled another dedicated drone aircraft carrier, unveiled the next generation ‘Mother of all drones,’ capable of carrying smaller drones in its belly and then deploying them, a little like a flying aircraft carrier.

The Jetank, a heavy unmanned aerial vehicle, was showcased for the first time at the Zhuhai Air Show 2024, which concluded on November 17. The large drone can carry missiles, bombs, and smaller drones, earning the moniker of “swarm carrier.”

The Jetank was displayed at the outdoor static display area of the state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC). According to the Global Times, it has a maximum takeoff weight of 16 tons, a maximum payload capacity of six tons, and a wingspan of 25 meters.

See more information on the Mothership

The next-generation unmanned platform has eight hardpoints and can switch mission modules using different modularised payloads. The display showed the drone equipped with a radar system and electro-optical pod at its nose. It can be linked to the satellite, providing battlefield situational awareness and remote-control capability.

Unlike other armed drones, the Jetank has a jet engine on its back instead of propellers, giving it stronger thrust. During the display, the Jetank was armed with different payloads, including laser-guided bombs, glide bombs, anti-ship missiles, and air-to-air missiles. The wide array of weapons Jetank carries is comparable to modern fighter jets and bombers.

What makes Jetank more potent is its isomerism hive module. In simpler words, the heavy drone can carry smaller drones that can act as a swarm to execute different missions. A couple of Jetanks in a formation carrying smaller swarm drones can wreak havoc on the adversary. Equipped with the latest AI technology, the swarm drones can carry out various roles such as reconnaissance, strikes, communications, and electronic warfare.

China’s domination of the drone market was on full display during the Zhuhai air show. Beijing unveiled new members of China’s CH drone family, including CH-9, a large-size armed reconnaissance drone, and CH-7, the latest upgraded version of the stealth early-warning drone.

Another low-cost drone, CH-3D, and a cargo drone, CH-YH1000, were also on display.

The CH-9, the latest entry in the CH armed reconnaissance drone series, has a range of 11,500 kilometers and can take off with a weight of 5,000 kilograms. It can fly for 40 hours doing surveillance.

The CH-7, a peer competitor to the US-made RQ-180, also stole the show. It is an advanced stealth drone for early-warning missions and electronic warfare. It can stealthily monitor combat zones and act as “eyes” for other combat units, guiding them to targets.

China is fast moving from being the largest drone maker to a quality drone maker.

China’s DJI dominates global drone manufacturing, controlling 72.3 percent of the worldwide market share. While the US has an upper hand in creating large, complex drones such as the MQ-9 Reaper and RQ-4 Global Hawk, China has been leading in consumer-grade small, reliable, and inexpensive drones.

China’s advantage gives it an edge when it comes to drone swarms. China’s military is developing more than 50 types of drones with varying capabilities, amassing a fleet of tens of thousands of drones, potentially many times larger than the US.

China is building on this capability. China’s Wing Loong-X drone displayed its full anti-submarine capabilities at the Zhuhai Airshow. The drone has begun routine test flights.

The Wing Loong-X drone is a medium-altitude long-endurance unmanned aerial system with a long-range, heavy payload capacity and the ability to perform multiple tasks. It incorporates the latest advancements in drone technology and inherits the Wing Loong drone series’ mature technologies and combat experiences.

At the Airshow China 2024, the Wing Loong-X was displayed with its full suite of anti-submarine capabilities, equipped with various payloads such as sonar buoy pods, torpedoes, air-to-air missiles, and anti-ship missiles. The drone can integrate combat systems to conduct missions to cover land and air, surface, and underwater domains.

China’s growing progress in drone technology has also pushed the US to ramp up its efforts to develop anti-drone technology.

The Pentagon’s Replicator 2 initiative is a key part of this push. It focuses on combating small, uncrewed aerial systems, which have become a growing threat in global conflict zones.

As the US Defense Department enters the second phase of its autonomous Replicator weapons program, it continues to keep China in its crosshairs, racing to innovate in counter-drone weaponry.