China State Media Reports Maiden Flight of Jiutian UAV Reported to Carry About 100 Drones

Overview

• The state-owned China Aviation Industry Group was identified as the developer of the large unmanned aircraft known as Jiutian.
• Xinhua reported the aircraft can house roughly 100 small drones inside its fuselage.
• Japanese outlets relayed the report via Kyodo and described the platform as a “drone carrier.”
• According to the same report, Jiutian is about 16 meters long, can fly up to 12 hours with a range near 7,000 kilometers, and could carry air-to-air, air-to-ground, and anti-ship missiles.
• Public details remain limited and largely paywalled, and outlets have not provided independent on-site confirmation or technical validation.