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China has secretly built what could be the world’s first drone carrier, an analyst said.
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The report pointed to the ship’s size to guess its primary mission.
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Having a drone carrier would allow China to use different types of drones to attack, an analyst told BI.
The Chinese Navy has secretly built what could be the world’s first dedicated drone carrier ship, a stubby vessel that resembles a mini aircraft carrier, according to Naval News.
The outlet used satellite images from May 6, along with input from J. Michael Dahm, a senior resident fellow for aerospace and China studies at the Mitchell Institute.
“We believe this ship is the world’s first fixed-wing drone carrier,” the report said. However, other experts warned that only time would tell its purpose.
The report noted the length of the ship’s flight deck, which is about one-third the length and half the width of a Chinese or U.S. Navy aircraft carrier. It is also about half the length of China’s amphibious assault ships that launch manned helicopters, suggesting the new ship’s flight deck is designed for fewer helicopters or smaller aircraft such as drones.
The flight decks of warships have been bases for drones such as the American MQ-8B Fire Scout helicopter and the lightweight Scan Eagle drone. What seems new is that the entire function of the Chinese ship could be to launch and land drones, although its purpose will only be confirmed by future observations of its tests and operations.
The report estimated that the cockpit was wide enough for aircraft or drones with a wingspan of about 20 meters, such as the Chinese equivalents of the Reaper drone, to operate from there.
Citing satellite images, the report also said the flight deck appears “very” low, suggesting there is no hangar below for the storage and maintenance of aircraft, such as those from attack ships and aircraft carriers. As you can see, the ship appears to be well under the length of a Chinese frigate.
Alessio Patalano, professor of war and strategy in East Asia at King’s College London’s Department of War Studies, backed the assessment.
He told BI that the platform’s flat and compact deck, along with its reportedly catamaran-like hull, indicate it will be used for drones; the US has also experimented with launching drones from catamaran-style ferries, but the ship’s cockpit is much smaller.
Patalano also said it would make sense for the Chinese Navy to largely hide its processes from international scrutiny.
But Lyle Goldstein, director of Asia Engagement at the DC-based think tank Defense Priorities, said he would hesitate to call it a drone carrier based on just one satellite image.
Strategically, though, he said it would make a lot of sense.
Drones have a relatively short range, limiting their deployment beyond the coastline, Goldstein told BI. Having an aircraft carrier would therefore give the Chinese Navy a ‘robust’ network and allow drones of different types to attack.
“I spend a lot of time looking at Taiwanese scenarios, and I think China would really want to deploy large numbers of these exploding drones as their main weapon,” he said.
The possible drone mothership was spotted just weeks after China’s third-largest airline began sea trials.
Read the original article on Business Insider
