Is China Building a Dedicated Drone Aircraft Carrier? It Sure Looks Like It

Summary: One hundred years after the Royal Navy commissioned HMS Hermes, the first purpose-built aircraft carrier, China may be developing the world’s first purpose-built drone carrier.

Key Points and Information You Need to Know 

-Naval analyst H. I. Sutton reported that construction is underway at Jiangsu Dayang Marine shipyard on China’s fourth aircraft carrier, designed to support large unmanned aerial systems (UAS), or what many today call drones.

-The vessel is smaller than traditional carriers and employs a catamaran hull with a straight deck, limiting simultaneous launch and recovery of conventional aircraft. Other nations, including Turkey and Iran, are also exploring drone aircraft carriers, reflecting a shift in naval aviation towards unmanned systems.

From Aircraft to Drones: China's Innovative Approach to Naval Aircraft Carriers

It was 100 years ago this past February that the Royal Navy commissioned into service HMS Hermes (95). The warship had the distinction of being the first purpose-built aircraft carrier to be designed and laid down—although the Imperial Japanese Navy’s Hosho was actually commissioned first. Carrier development has seen significant leaps in the century that followed, including the type of aircraft that can operate from the flight deck.

Now comes word that China may be developing the world’s first purpose-built drone carrier.

Noted naval analyst and author H. I. Sutton, writing for Naval News, first reported that efforts are now underway at the Jiangsu Dayang Marine shipyard to build a fourth Chinese aircraft carrier.

“Hidden away in a shipyard on the Yangtze, far upriver from the major yards at Shanghai, is a new aircraft carrier. It’s China’s fourth, a ship whose mere existence has not been reported before. Only China can build an aircraft carrier in relative secrecy,” Sutton wrote, adding that the vessel was launched in December 2022.

What We Know About the Drone Aircraft Carrier from China 

Given that this drone carrier was unknown until Naval News reported on it, details are sparse. It has been noted that the Chinese flattop is significantly smaller than regular aircraft carriers. Its flight deck may be just a third of the length and half the width of the U.S. Navy’s Nimitz -class supercarrier or the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) newly launched Type 003 Fujian.

Sutton, who consulted with J. Michael Dahm, a senior resident fellow at the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, compared the drone carrier to that of a World War II escort carrier. Its similarities to such warships of the past included the straight deck arrangement. It also employed a large catamaran hull, which could offer a large flight deck, but that could limit the space for the typical aircraft hanger employed on large supercarriers. In addition, it wouldn’t likely allow for the launch and recovery of conventional aircraft at the same time.

However, instead of operating fixed-winged or even rotary manned aircraft, the Chinese flattop will likely support large fixed-wing Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) at sea.

Drone Carriers—The Future of Naval Aviation?

China is not alone in exploring the concept of a drone carrier. Nations that have thus far lacked the ability to build traditional carriers are now exploring options for hybrid or drone-specific sea-based launch platforms.

As previously reported, NATO ally Turkey is now advancing its naval capabilities by developing its second aircraft carrier, following the commissioning of the TCG Anadolu, a multipurpose amphibious assault ship, into the Turkish Navy. The future Turkish carrier would be designed to accommodate both manned and unmanned aircraft—but its first carrier could serve in a similar role.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that the TCG Anadolu, which now serves as the Turkish Navy’s new flagship, would be “the world’s first warship in its field where UAVs and land and take off,” although it was originally designed to operate with the Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II—the short or vertical takeoff and landing (S/VTOL) variant. The carrier’s role evolved after Turkey was expelled for its adoption of the Russian-made S-400 air defense system.

In addition, there have been reports that Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy has been working to convert the former Iranian-flagged container ship Shahid Mahdavi into a carrier that could operate with both manned rotary aircraft and fixed-wing UAVs.

Drone Aircraft Carriers of the Past

In many ways, the role of the aircraft carrier has returned to its earliest naval aviation roots. Long before HMS Hermes entered service, and even before the early flight deck experiments conducted by the United States Navy on the USS Birmingham (CL-2) and USS Pennsylvania (ACR-4), the Austro-Hungarian Navy’s Ship of the Line SMS Vulcano was employed as a “balloon carrier.”

During the siege of Venice in July 1849, the vessel launched balloons carrying small bombs that were timed to fall on the city. Though it wasn’t purpose-built as a “drone carrier,” the Vulcano may retrospectively have the distinction of being the first.

Author Experience and Expertise: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: Editor@nationalinterest.org.

Image: PLAN.