The latest pictures of China’s new drone-carrying mothership have been released, as Beijing continues to build up its military strength. The Jiu Tan is a high-altitude long-range UAV, capable of releasing 100 kamikaze unmanned aerial vehicles at the same time.
Developed by Shaanxi Unmanned Equipment Technology, it was first unveiled to the public at the Zhuhai air show in November last year. With a wingspan measuring 25 metres, the mothership can fly for 12 hours and has a maximum range of 7,000 kilometres (4,350 miles).
The aircraft can also carry cruise and medium-range air-to-air missiles, such as the PL-12E.
One of its major advantages is its ability to fly at high altitudes, making the Jiu Tan harder to detect, as well as allowing it to evade many of the air defence systems currently operational in the world.
With drones transforming the modern battlefield, the addition of the mothership to China’s airforce shows Beijing’s determination to learn the lessons of Ukraine.
Drones have helped Ukraine’s army keep Putin’s forces in check, despite the advantage Moscow’s army enjoys in terms of manpower and weapons.
Pat Harrigan, a member of the US House of Representatives, said last month that FPV drones were responsible for 80 per cent of Russian casualties in Ukraine.
China produces a wide variety of drones, which it has sold to countries around the world.
The China Academy of Aerospace Aerodynamics (CAAA) – one of the country’s top makers of UAVs – has sold more than 200 midsize and large combat drones to over 10 nations.
Wang Zhaokui, a business executive at the CAAA, told the China Daily that its Rainbow drones (Caihong) have been widely deployed across Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Africa.
According to Wang, the UAVS have accumulated nearly 70,000 hours in combat actions from nearly 12,000 sorties.
They have fired more than 2,000 munitions, boasting a 98.2-percent successful hit rate.
“The Caihong-series planes have been called ‘sharp weapons for counterterrorism operations’ by our foreign clients,” he said.
“Our drones have earned China about US$2 billion.”
