China has unveiled a drone carrier mothership, a new type of warship that could change the military balance in a conflict over Taiwan.
Last week, The Warzone reported that China has just put into service a catamaran drone mini-carrier as part of an experimental naval training force. The source notes that the warship could simulate enemy drone swarms, high-volume anti-ship missile strikes, and distributed electronic warfare attacks.
The source cites a short clip from China Central Television briefly showing the forward section of the catamaran, with five landing spots for helicopter-type drones. Two types of tandem-rotor drones can be seen in the CCTV clip, which it notes may be military variants of the ZC Aviation ZC300 drone, which comes in agricultural and firefighting variants.
It also states that military versions of the ZC300 can be equipped with laser-imaging sensors and small radars for oceanographic tasks.
In terms of utility, The Warzone reported in a November 2021 article that small drone carriers could operate as a part of a larger surface action group to direct drone swarms against shore targets or air defenses, allowing more traditional capabilities to be used more effectively.
The source says drone swarms can confuse enemy defenses, forcing an adversary to mount a weak defense by wasting limited ammunition and costly missiles at disposable targets. It also says that networked drone swarms have immense flexibility, since individual drones can be equipped with specialized payloads such as sensors, electronic warfare systems, or explosive warheads.
Asia Times has previously reported on China’s drone-mothership projects. In May, China launched the world’s first AI-powered drone carrier, an unmanned mothership that can be used for marine research, intelligence gathering, and even launching drone swarms.
The ship, called the Zhu Hai Yun, has an artificial-intelligence operating system that allows it to carry 50 surface, subsurface, and flying drones that can be autonomously launched and recovered. However, the Zhu Hai Yun is not designed to navigate busy seaports and runs in remote mode until it reaches open waters. At that point, its AI takes over navigation tasks.
This new type of warship could play a decisive role in a clash between the mainland and Taiwan. As previously noted by Asia Times, China could opt to launch drone-swarm attacks from this type of warship to knock out Taiwan’s air defenses, going after radars and missile batteries to enable a “shock and awe” bombing campaign to take out critical military, government, and civilian infrastructure.
Developments outside China
Other naval powers are also considering the drone mothership concept. For example, Asia Times has previously reported on Turkey’s plans to convert its TCG Anadolu light carrier into a drone carrier. It is envisaged to carry 30 to 50 naval Bayraktar TB-2 drones or newer Kizilelma stealth drones for air-to-air combat operations.
However, Turkey may need some help in deploying its drone carrier. Asia Times has previously noted that Turkey’s claim for its Kizilelma stealth drone to perform air-to-air combat missions may require advances in flight software, AI, command and control, and processing power that are still beyond Turkey’s reach.
In addition, The Warzone reported in July that Iran had activated a “naval drone carrier” division, unveiling the unit in a ceremony that involved launching drones from ships and submarines. The source notes that the division’s main tasks are envisaged to transport and operate various types of surveillance, combat, and suicide drones.
It also states that one unnamed vessel involved in the ceremony could carry 50 drones, most likely loitering munitions.
The source emphasizes that Iran’s naval drone carrier division isn’t a threat in itself. Still, it shows that capability to launch drones from virtually any ship could make attributing drone attacks much more difficult. It also says such vessels could launch swarms of long-range, low-flying, and cheap drones that could overwhelm billion-dollar air defense networks.
Not to be outdone, the US is also exploring unmanned drone mothership concepts. In a November article, Sandboxx reported that in October, the US released a solicitation for an “attritable UxV mother ship (AUMS),” an unmanned ship that can carry a 20-foot shipping container that could launch unidentified drone platforms.
The source notes that since the vessel is designed to be attritable, that is, capable of attrition warfare, it should be relatively low-cost, with the US Navy envisaging a five-year service life. It also states that it should have a modular, open architecture to incorporate upgrades through periodic maintenance over its lifetime.
Sandboxx also says the AUMS class would comprise a lead ship and 10 additional vessels, with a design and construction contract planned to be awarded in fiscal year 2026.
In terms of requirements, the source says the US Navy envisages the AUMS should be built to cross 1,500 nautical miles and could be extended to 2,000nm. It should also be able to function at Sea State 6 and survive 9-foot-high (2.75-meter) waves, with top speeds between 12 to 20 knots. The source also notes that the AUMS will have a self-scuttling capability that would allow its operators to sink it should it be compromised.
Regarding operations, the source says the AUMS would make its way to the open ocean, relying on the Global Positioning System (GPS), waypoints, over-the-horizon and line-of-sight communications, and autonomous navigation. The AUMS would then jettison its drone-carrying shipping container, which is self-sustaining.
Challenges
However, the idea of drone motherships poses essential questions for policymakers and naval strategists. For example, a Congressional Research Service (CRS) report released this month asks how navies could integrate drone motherships and other unmanned naval assets into existing naval formations and the concept of operations (CONOPS).
As the idea of drone motherships is still in its relative infancy, the source asks about the technical and institutional risks they bring and if navies as institutions can adapt to the changes this technology poses.
Most important, the report says drone motherships, unmanned naval assets, and drones could increase the risk of miscalculation at sea, leading to unintended clashes and escalation of hostilities.
In addition, they might be tempting targets for adversaries, given their usual lack of defenses due to their expendable nature. Also, commanders might be tempted to use unmanned naval vessels and drones aggressively because of the lack of risk to friendly forces.