Before 2012, the overall strength of the mainland navy was relatively weak. Especially compared to the United States, which at that time already had about 7 aircraft carriers, but the mainland did not make any progress in this regard. But now, the mainland already has three aircraft carriers, and even the Fujian ship has successfully tested the sea this month.
In fact, two months ago, news came out about the mainland's fourth aircraft carrier. At that time, Yuan Huazhi, political commissar of the mainland navy, was interviewed about the construction of the fourth aircraft carrier. As for whether the fourth aircraft carrier will be nuclear-powered. Admiral Yuan left the suspense, saying that the answer "will soon be revealed to the public."
In fact, we are not the only ones who are concerned, but the United States has also been paying attention to the situation of the mainland's fourth aircraft carrier. According to satellite pictures from the American media, the United States said that China's fourth aircraft carrier is about to be built, and it may be the world's first dedicated drone carrier.
However, we have to wonder whether this will be a "killing" by the United States. You must know that the history of the development of our aircraft carriers is not as easy as that of the United States. It can even be described as going through hardships.
U.S. media satellite image
The difficult process of building aircraft carriers on the mainland
In 1998, it was destined to be an unforgettable year for the Chinese Navy. In this year, the mainland received from Ukraine an aircraft carrier - "Varyag", which was almost abandoned after the collapse of the Soviet Union. At that time, the aircraft carrier did not even have power, or we sent ships to tow it back home. The difficulties in the middle and the difficulties of countries such as Turkey are really twists and turns.
"Varyag" was originally the second of the Kuznetsov-class aircraft carriers of the Soviet Navy, but due to the abortion of the project due to the collapse of the Soviet Union, its construction was forced to stop when it was 68% complete. It is widely believed in Western countries that this ship is basically a "scrap metal" with no real military value.
Before being resold to the mainland by Ukraine, the aircraft carrier had all its vital military equipment, including radar, weapons systems and electronics, dismantled, leaving only a huge steel shell.
China has invested a lot of manpower and material resources, and with the efforts of many top technicians, it has been dismantled and gradually studied every possible detail. To this end, the mainland has also set up a joint project team with the participation of a number of outstanding scientific research institutions and enterprises. After many years of hard work, we have the first aircraft carrier in the true sense of the word.
Then there was the Shandong ship and the Fujian ship, which had just been tested in the sea.
The US media said that China is building a drone carrier
On May 15, 2024, the U.S. website "Navy News" published a report that attracted widespread attention. The article notes that China's Jiangsu Dayang Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. is building China's fourth aircraft carrier. According to the report, the aircraft carrier was launched back in December 2022, but it remains a mystery to this day.
According to the analysis of US satellite images, China's fourth aircraft carrier may be the world's first dedicated drone carrier. And the American "Navy News" notes that this is an aircraft carrier specially designed to carry fixed-wing UAVs. Compared to the previously built and undergoing sea trials of the Fujian aircraft carrier, the new aircraft carrier is much smaller.
The flight deck of the new aircraft carrier is about one-third the length and half the width of a supercarrier of the US Navy or the Chinese Navy.
Although it is slightly shorter than a World War II-era frigate, its width allows it to operate fixed-wing aircraft. This design may seem simple, but considering the development of contemporary drone technology, the power of this aircraft carrier may not be underestimated.
According to the analysis of "Navy News", the "fourth aircraft carrier of China" has a deck design that extends directly from the port side to the starboard side, while on the starboard side, there is an island-like superstructure, which may be used for the deployment of advanced radars.
Particularly striking is the fact that the aircraft carrier has the structure of a catamaran. This means that the deck will be more spacious, capable of accommodating fixed-wing drones with a wingspan of about 20 meters for take-off and landing.
It is worth noting that this news is only a one-sided statement of the United States, and you must know that the consistent style of the United States is to start boasting about equipment before it has even come out. The United States is so hyped up that it is clearly hyping up the "threat theory."
Whether it is true or not, it has to be said that UAVs are indeed the trend of future warfare. Because countries understand that pilots are a more valuable asset than airplanes.
So what is a drone carrier?
In modern warfare, UAVs are increasingly showing their key role. Due to the relatively low cost of development and construction, UAVs are bound to become one of the core equipment in future wars. Based on this trend, countries have increased their investment in the field of drones. Countries like Turkey, Italy and others have been working in this direction.
The drone carrier, as the name suggests, is a mothership capable of carrying, taking off and landing, and directing drone operations. Unlike traditional aircraft carriers, drone carriers are mainly used to carry and maintain a large number of UAVs, so as to achieve a variety of mission requirements such as long-range reconnaissance, surveillance, and operations.
Strictly speaking, drone carriers are divided into two categories: one is a new type of aircraft carrier designed and built specifically for drones.
The other is to retrofit existing aircraft carriers or other large ships to give them the functions of drone carriers. Either way, their common feature is that they have advanced UAV take-off and landing equipment, control systems and maintenance facilities, and can quickly deploy a large number of UAVs in a short period of time.
The core part of the drone carrier lies in its intelligent command system. Through advanced artificial intelligence and communication technology, drone carriers can receive and process various information from drones in real time, such as images, videos, and sensor data. Based on this information, commanders can dispatch and optimize the UAV's path of action in real time to ensure the efficient completion of the mission.
And drone carriers are usually equipped with specialized take-off and landing platforms, similar to the runways of small airports. UAVs can take off and land vertically through these platforms, or use glide jump take-off, catapult take-off, etc., to achieve rapid sortie and recovery. The maintenance team on the mothership is also able to perform quick overhauls and replacement parts for the drone, ensuring that it is always in top operational condition.
The drones carried by the drone carrier can stay in the air for a long time and have a variety of advanced camera functions such as night vision and thermal imaging.
They can conduct in-depth reconnaissance on the enemy's front line and behind the enemy's back, obtain real-time intelligence, and provide a valuable reference for commanders to formulate strategies. In addition, drones can also conduct 24-hour uninterrupted surveillance of sea areas, islands and other places.
Compared with traditional manned fighters, UAVs have higher maneuverability and concealment. UAV carriers can quickly deploy UAVs to deliver precision strikes on important enemy targets. Through remote control and automated combat systems, drones can achieve efficient and precise attacks, greatly reducing accidental injuries.
According to the American side, the mainland aircraft carrier has the ability to take off and land large fixed-wing UAVs. As a result, it is capable of launching so-called suicide drones or single-purpose micro-drones, but much more.
epilogue
In recent years, the mainland has made rapid progress in the field of unmanned aerial vehicles. Whether it is a reconnaissance and strike integrated UAV with long-term flight capability or a combat UAV with powerful attack power, it has been widely used and covers almost all branches of the military. If, as the United States said, the mainland is building a "drone carrier", it is not surprising.