China's Long-Range Uncrewed Aircraft Capability Takes Shape Amid Global Military Interest

China has successfully completed the first flight of its large unmanned ‘mothership’ aircraft, Jiutian, which is designed to carry dozens of smaller drones. The platform can deploy up to 100 UAVs in flight and has a range of several thousand miles. According to AeroTime, Chinese officials have emphasized the aircraft’s modular design and dual-use potential, saying it could also be configured for cargo transport, reconnaissance, communications relay, or disaster relief missions. This development marks a significant step in China’s push toward long-range, networked uncrewed aircraft capability-often referred to as drone swarms.