Picture this: a colossal, high-flying behemoth soaring above the clouds, unleashing a swarm of kamikaze drones like a sci-fi nightmare come to life.
China’s Jiutian SS-UAV, dubbed the world’s first “drone mothership,” promises to rewrite the rules of aerial warfare. But before you buy into the hype, let’s rip the veil off this supposed game-changer.
Is this massive UAV a revolutionary leap in military tech, or just a bloated, overhyped target practice for modern air defenses?
Buckle up, because I’m about to read into why this so-called “mothership” might, believe me, crash and burn before it even gets off the ground.
Introduction: The Hype of the Jiutian SS-UAV
China’s military machine is at it again, flexing its muscles with the Jiutian SS-UAV, a high-altitude, long-endurance (HALE) unmanned aerial vehicle billed as the world’s first “drone mothership.”
Unveiled at the Zhuhai Air Show in November 2024 and set for its maiden flight in June 2025, this beast is designed to carry up to 100 smaller drones, including kamikaze UAVs, and a mix of air-to-air, air-to-ground, and anti-ship missiles.
With a reported range of 7,000 kilometers (4,350 miles), a 12-hour endurance, and the ability to fly at 15,000 meters, it’s being sold as a force multiplier for the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
Chinese state media and defense outlets are hyping it as a game-changer, capable of saturating enemy defenses with swarms of AI-guided drones and precision-guided munitions.
Sounds terrifying, right?
Wrong. I’m not buying it, and neither should you. The Jiutian SS-UAV, for all its grandiose promises, is a flawed concept that’s more likely to be a sitting duck than a battlefield dominator.
Let’s break down why this drone mothership is a failure before it even starts, from its vulnerability in contested environments to its questionable endurance and overhyped capabilities. Buckle up for a deep dive into why China’s latest military toy is more flash than substance.
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A Sitting Duck In Contested Skies
First off, let’s talk about the elephant in the room: the Jiutian’s survivability in a contested environment. China claims this mothership can operate at super-high altitudes, evading many air defense systems. But here’s the cold, hard truth: modern air defenses and fighter jets are more than capable of turning this lumbering giant into a fireball before it can deploy its precious drone swarm.
Tom Shugart, an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, nailed it when he told Newsweek that the Jiutian “doesn’t appear to be particularly stealthy” and could be “subject to destruction by enemy aircraft or air defenses” before it gets close enough to release its drones.
Let’s unpack that. The Jiutian is a massive platform with an 82-foot wingspan and a 16-tonne frame. That’s not exactly a needle in a haystack. Its radar cross-section (RCS) is likely significant, making it a juicy target for advanced radar systems like those on the U.S. F-35, India’s Rafale, or even Taiwan’s upgraded F-16s.
Modern air-to-air missiles, like the Meteor carried by Rafale jets, have ranges exceeding 200 kilometers and can engage targets at high altitudes. The Meteor’s active radar homing and ramjet propulsion make it a nightmare for slow, non-stealthy platforms like the Jiutian.
Add to that the networked air defense systems of adversaries like the U.S., Japan, or India—think Aegis-equipped destroyers or India’s D4 anti-drone system—and the Jiutian’s chances of surviving long enough to deploy its swarm are slim to none.
India’s recent success in neutralizing Pakistan’s drone swarms during Operation Sindoor, using a mix of sensors, jammers, and missiles, proves that coordinated air defenses can shred drone-heavy assaults.
In a contested environment—say, over the Taiwan Strait or the South China Sea—the Jiutian would face a gauntlet of layered defenses: long-range surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) like the Patriot PAC-3, ship-based SM-6 missiles, and fighter jets with advanced sensors.
Even if it flies at 15,000 meters, it’s not out of reach. High-altitude SAMs and interceptors are designed for exactly this kind of threat. And let’s not forget electronic warfare.
Systems like India’s D4 or the U.S.’s Next Generation Jammer can disrupt the Jiutian’s command-and-control links, rendering its drone swarm useless before it even launches.
The Jiutian’s reliance on quantum-encrypted communication and AI for swarm control sounds fancy, but it’s not invincible. Electronic countermeasures (ECM) can jam or spoof these systems, and no amount of Chinese propaganda can change the fact that a big, slow UAV is a magnet for trouble in a high-threat environment.
This isn’t a stealthy RQ-170 Sentinel; it’s a glorified cargo plane trying to play Rambo.
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Swarm Drones: More Show Than Substance
Next up, let’s talk about those “100 kamikaze drones” the Jiutian is supposed to unleash. The idea is that these smaller UAVs, some modeled after the Iranian Shahed-136, can overwhelm enemy defenses through sheer numbers.
But here’s the kicker: these micro-drones have limited range and endurance, making them more suited for a flashy drone show than a serious military operation.
Reports suggest the Jiutian’s drones are deployed from dual bays on its underside, designed for “distributed or saturation attacks.” This sounds impressive until you consider the practical limitations.
Kamikaze drones like the Shahed-136 have a range of about 2,000 kilometers in ideal conditions, but when launched from a mothership at high altitude, their endurance is likely far less due to the energy required to reach operational altitudes and speeds.
Shugart’s skepticism about their “fairly short range” is spot-on. These drones aren’t crossing the Taiwan Strait or hitting U.S. bases in Guam without running out of juice.
Moreover, swarm tactics rely on numbers and coordination, but quantity doesn’t always trump quality. Modern air defenses, like India’s D4 system or China’s own “Bullet Curtain” anti-drone system, are designed to counter exactly this kind of threat.
The Bullet Curtain, for instance, uses 35mm rounds that explode mid-air, creating a “lethal cloud” to obliterate drone swarms. If China’s own tech can counter swarms, imagine what the U.S. or Israel could do with their laser-based systems or advanced CIWS (close-in weapon systems).
The Jiutian’s drones also face the problem of payload. Kamikaze UAVs typically carry small warheads, which are great for precision strikes on soft targets but useless against hardened military installations.
To overwhelm a modern air defense network, you’d need hundreds, if not thousands, of drones—far more than the Jiutian’s 100-unit capacity. And once those drones are launched, the mothership is left vulnerable, having spent its primary offensive capability. It’s a one-trick pony with a very short leash.
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Endurance & Payload: Overpromised, Underdelivered
China claims the Jiutian can fly for 12 hours and cover 7,000 kilometers while carrying a six-tonne payload, including drones and missiles. But let’s do some back-of-the-envelope math. A 16-tonne UAV carrying six tonnes of ordnance—drones, missiles, or a mix—means it’s operating at near-maximum capacity. That’s a lot of weight for a single rear-thrust engine, even one designed for efficiency.
High-altitude, long-endurance UAVs like the U.S. RQ-4 Global Hawk already push the limits of fuel efficiency, and they don’t carry anywhere near six tonnes of payload. The Jiutian’s hydrogen engine and stealth features might help, but physics is a harsh mistress.
Fully loaded, its endurance and range will likely be far less than advertised. A 12-hour flight time might shrink to a fraction of that under combat conditions, especially if it’s maneuvering to avoid threats or climbing to evade SAMs.
Then there’s the missile payload. The Jiutian can reportedly carry air-to-air missiles like the PL-12E, anti-ship missiles, and 1,000-kilogram guided bombs. But here’s the rub: missiles are heavy. A single PL-12E weighs around 200 kilograms, and a 1,000-kilogram bomb is, well, 1,000 kilograms.
If the Jiutian is carrying a mix of these plus 100 drones (each likely weighing 50-100 kilograms), it’s quickly hitting its payload limit. There’s no way it’s flying 7,000 kilometers with all that gear. More likely, it’s limited to shorter missions or lighter loads, which undercuts its strategic value.
Compare this to proven platforms like the MQ-9 Reaper, which carries a fraction of the Jiutian’s payload but has been battle-tested in real-world conditions.
The Jiutian’s specs sound like they were dreamed up in a propaganda office, not a testing ground. And if it has to sacrifice drones to carry missiles or vice versa, it loses the versatility that’s supposed to make it a “multirole” platform.
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Strategic Overreach: A Propaganda Ploy?
Let’s zoom out and look at the bigger picture. China’s military strategy is all about anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD), using missiles, drones, and naval assets to keep adversaries like the U.S. or Japan at bay.
The Jiutian fits into this playbook, theoretically enabling long-range strikes and swarm attacks to overwhelm defenses in places like Taiwan or the South China Sea. But its practical utility is questionable.
For one, the Jiutian’s role as a “force multiplier” assumes it can operate unchallenged. In a real conflict, it would need escorts—manned fighters or other drones—to survive.
That’s a logistical nightmare, tying up resources that could be better used elsewhere. And if China’s banking on the Jiutian to tip the scales in a Taiwan invasion, it’s betting on a platform that hasn’t been tested in combat. Compare that to the U.S.’s DARPA Gremlins program, which is still in development but focuses on recoverable drones—a more flexible and sustainable approach.
Then there’s the propaganda angle. Chinese state media, like CCTV and the South China Morning Post, have been relentless in hyping the Jiutian as a revolutionary leap.
But this smells like classic CCP posturing: announce a shiny new toy, slap some CGI footage on X, and watch the world freak out. Posts on X have already called it out, with users like @Patriot_Josh11 mocking it as “big, slow, and not stealthy” and predicting it’ll “quietly crash during the test.”
This isn’t the first time China’s overhyped its tech. Remember the J-20 stealth fighter? Touted as an F-22 killer, it’s been plagued by engine issues and questionable stealth performance.
The Jiutian feels like more of the same: a bold claim to rattle adversaries, but one that might not hold up under scrutiny. If it’s anything like China’s past projects, expect delays, technical hiccups, and a reality far less impressive than the press releases.
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The Counter-Drone Reality Check
Finally, let’s talk about the broader context of drone warfare. The Jiutian’s swarm tactics are inspired by conflicts like Ukraine, where cheap drones have reshaped the battlefield.
But what China seems to ignore is that counter-drone technology is evolving just as fast. India’s D4 system, which neutralized Pakistan’s swarm attacks in May 2025, is a prime example. Using a mix of sensors, jammers, and missiles, it took out over 50 drones and Chinese-supplied PL-15 missiles in a single night.
China itself is investing heavily in anti-drone tech, like the “Bullet Curtain” system, which can shred swarms with a barrage of 35mm rounds. If China’s own defenses can counter drone swarms, what’s stopping adversaries from doing the same?
The U.S. has laser-based systems and advanced CIWS, while Israel’s Iron Dome has proven adept at handling missile and drone threats. Even smaller players like India are fielding laser weapons capable of slicing through drones.
The Jiutian’s swarm strategy assumes enemies will be overwhelmed, but modern air defenses are built for exactly this scenario. A 100-drone swarm sounds scary, but when you’re facing networked radars, jammers, and interceptors, it’s just a bigger target. And once the Jiutian deploys its drones, it’s left with little to no offensive capability, making it a liability rather than an asset.
Conclusion: A Paper Tiger In The Sky
So, is the Jiutian SS-UAV the future of warfare or an overhyped flop? I’m leaning hard toward the latter. Its vulnerabilities in contested environments, limited drone endurance, questionable payload and range, and reliance on unproven swarm tactics make it a risky bet for the PLA.
Add to that the rapid evolution of counter-drone systems, and the Jiutian starts to look like a paper tiger—a flashy concept that crumbles under scrutiny.
China’s not wrong to invest in drone technology; drones are reshaping modern warfare. But the Jiutian feels like a rushed attempt to steal the spotlight rather than a mature, battle-ready platform.
Its June 2025 test flight might dazzle with CGI and state media fanfare, but in a real conflict, it’s more likely to be a cautionary tale than a game-changer. The West, Taiwan, and others should keep an eye on it, but they shouldn’t lose sleep. This mothership is more likely to crash into reality than dominate the skies.
- Group Captain MJ Augustine Vinod (Retd), VSM, is a former Mirage 2000 fighter pilot, air accident investigator, and co-founder of AMOS Aerospace. He writes on emerging defense technologies, AI in warfare, and India’s aviation future.
- This is an Opinion Article. Views Personal Of The Author
- He tweets at @mjavinod
