China’s Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) has conducted the maiden flight of its massive drone-carrying mothership, the Jiutian, marking a major step in Beijing’s ambitions to field next-generation swarm-warfare platforms. The first flight took place on December 11, 2025, in Pucheng, Shaanxi Province, according to state media reports.
The Jiutian—described by AVIC as a “general-purpose drone”—is designed to carry up to six tonnes of payload, including munitions, air-to-ground and air-to-air weapons, and large numbers of smaller uncrewed aerial systems (UAS). Its size and capacity place it among the most advanced heavy-lift drones currently known to be in development worldwide.
Although officially framed as a multipurpose aircraft, the Jiutian has long been associated with experimental concepts involving drone swarms. A widely circulated CCTV-14 concept video from May 2025 depicted multiple Jiutian platforms releasing hundreds of smart quadcopter-type drones and winged attack drones in coordinated waves. In the simulation, these swarms overwhelmed U.S. Navy carrier strike groups, clearing the path for salvos of anti-ship ballistic and cruise missiles.
The same video showcased the Jiutian carrying a range of air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles, including what analysts identified as the PL-12AE and PL-15, two advanced Chinese air-to-air systems. Exhibition footage dating back to late 2024 had hinted at similar payload options.
Defense analysts note that this operational approach could be adapted to land warfare, especially after drones on the Ukrainian battlefield demonstrated their effectiveness in hunting infantry, striking fortified positions, and conducting counter-UAV missions. In a future conflict, barrages of expendable drones from the Jiutian could complement precision munitions and larger strike systems.
Images and video released by Chinese state media show the Jiutian featuring large straight wings, an H-tail, and a prominent top-mounted jet engine, a configuration optimized for endurance and lift. An electro-optical turret mounted under the fuselage suggests capabilities for reconnaissance, targeting, and battle damage assessment.
The concept video also highlighted an internal payload bay with top-hinged side doors, enabling the release of drone swarms mid-flight. Exhibition materials labeled this compartment as an “Immersion Hive Module,” possibly referring to an AI-enabled autonomous mission system comparable to the U.S.-developed Hivemind. Such software would allow swarms to independently search, track, and engage targets even in heavily jammed environments.
Chinese state media, including CGTN and Xinhua, emphasized the platform’s civilian applications, ranging from disaster relief to remote cargo delivery, resource mapping, and emergency communications. According to AVIC, the Jiutian is 16.35 meters long, has a 25-meter wingspan, a 16-tonne maximum takeoff weight, and can remain airborne for up to 12 hours with a ferry range of 7,000 km.
However, analysts note that Beijing often highlights dual-use roles for platforms that may ultimately serve military purposes. The heavy focus on humanitarian utility is unusual given the clearly military payloads already displayed in past exhibitions.
Some of the Jiutian models shown at defense expos may represent mock-ups intended for export markets rather than confirmed PLA programs. There is still no open-source evidence that the People’s Liberation Army plans to adopt the drone.
Still, experts say the very act of publicly demonstrating such a system serves China’s deterrence messaging, showcasing its industrial capacity and signaling its ability to wage combined swarm-and-missile saturation attacks in a future conflict against peer rivals, particularly the United States.
Earlier this year, analysts warned that China could employ a massive mix of asymmetric and conventional projectiles in a future war, far exceeding the intensity seen in recent Houthi attacks. The Jiutian’s swarm-launch capability directly aligns with this assessment.
Whether it enters full military service or not, the Jiutian’s debut underscores China’s rapid advances in unmanned warfare and its commitment to shaping the future battlefield.
