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Drone Aircraft Carrier

The "swarm drone aircraft carrier" is not a traditional surface ship, but a comprehensive command, control and launch recovery platform that can carry, deploy and manage hundreds or even thousands of micro drones. These drones will have multiple functions such as reconnaissance, interference, and attack, and can be quickly combined into different task formations according to battlefield needs to perform a wide range of tasks from intelligence collection to precision strikes.

There are many technical challenges in achieving this tactic, including but not limited to the ultra-miniaturized design of drones, long endurance, autonomous flight and obstacle avoidance technology, and efficient data processing and transmission capabilities. In addition, how to ensure stable communication and coordinated operations of a large number of drones in a complex electromagnetic environment is also a focus of research and development. The US military is gradually overcoming these technical bottlenecks by investing in the development of advanced artificial intelligence algorithms, quantum communication technology, and miniaturized energy solutions.

As military technology changes rapidly, the U.S. military is actively developing a revolutionary war strategy - the new "swarm drone aircraft carrier" tactic, which aims to redefine air superiority on future battlefields by integrating advanced drone technology with innovative tactical layout. The US military plans to use a large number of small, low-cost, highly autonomous drones to form a swarm-like formation to respond to various battlefield challenges with numerical advantages and flexible tactics.

The core advantage of the "swarm drone aircraft carrier" tactic lies in its flexibility and adaptability. Compared with traditional large manned fighters or single-function drones, swarm drones can perform diversified tasks at a lower cost and higher flexibility, such as distributed reconnaissance, saturation attack, electronic warfare, etc., effectively improving combat efficiency and survivability. In addition, this tactic can significantly reduce the risk of casualties, which meets the requirements of modern warfare to reduce collateral damage and improve accuracy.

The weight of current drones varies greatly, from a “fly” drone of a few grams to a stealth unmanned fighter jet of dozens of tons, but in general, drones are lighter and easier to deploy than manned aircraft. Driven by the idea of distributed combat, drones have more cost advantages in acting as "eyes" than manned aircraft. In terms of acting as a "striker", drones can penetrate deeper into more dangerous places. This feature has attracted "country after country to compete for them".

With the advancement of automatic control technology and the miniaturization of various sensors, UAV flight control technology is becoming more and more mature. Therefore, UAV autonomous landing technology is no longer a high-end "Zenith Star" technology. Currently, the take-off weight of most offensive drones is in the 10-ton range. Drones of this weight can achieve autonomous landing without catapults or arresting cables.

This has made many countries that do not have the ability to develop aircraft carriers eager to try, and they all want to use drones to make up for this shortcoming. Therefore, the threshold for installing drones on ships is no longer out of reach, which undoubtedly makes many regional powers have the ambition of "if the powerful countries make them, I can also make them." In the future, countries equipped with drone carriers can increase or decrease the types of drones and add or reduce related equipment according to their own tasks and needs, thus achieving a favorable situation in which both sides get what they need.

The continuously decreasing technical difficulty and cost have made it possible for many countries to realize their aircraft carrier dreams. Currently, aircraft carriers have evolved to the form of electromagnetic catapults. The Ford has been testing it for several years, and the Fujian has also launched small vehicles. They represent the top level of today's aircraft carriers.

The United States believes in "100,000-ton diplomacy", and the deployment of a heavy nuclear-powered aircraft carrier is quite a big deal. The conventionally powered Fujian aircraft carrier also weighs more than 80,000 tons, and is a national heavy weapon both in name and in strength.

In today's fragile international relations, deploying aircraft carriers can easily escalate the situation, but not deploying them is not enough to express one's attitude. Even if they have aircraft carriers, they are very cautious and not flexible enough to use them. Even in the United States, the cost of using aircraft carriers is a headache for congressional leaders.

Electromagnetic catapults are not the end of the aircraft carrier form. A new aircraft carrier form has already appeared. As the technology of drones on board ships matures, drone aircraft carriers are about to emerge. Compared with traditional aircraft carriers, drone aircraft carriers are less politically sensitive, have lower operating costs, and have a higher deployment rate. (It takes a few hundred million dollars to maintain a large-scale aircraft carrier fleet)

The above factors are irritating the nerves of today's major maritime countries. From the Atlantic Ocean to the Indian Ocean, from the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Mexico, whether it is a PPT or a prototype, the curtain has been raised on drone carriers over the oceans. For China, the field of drone technology is at the forefront of the world, and aircraft carriers and amphibious ships have also made great progress. Faced with this new revolution, we now have no choice or trade-offs, but to take it all.

Whether it is the old naval power Britain, the current naval rival the United States, or the regional naval power Turkey, they all have a deep obsession with deploying drones on ships. In fact, not only these countries, but also Spain, France, Iran and other countries are also actively carrying out the research and development of ship-borne drones.

Chinese state media reported in late May 2022 that China's first drone carrier, a cross between a civilian research and a military tool dubbed a maritime research flagship, will be operational by the end of the year, and will carry an unspecified number of aerial, sea and underwater drones. The 88.5-meter-long Zhuhai Cloud will be able to reach speeds of 18 knots (33 km/h). Chen Dake, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and director of the laboratory that owns the ship, described it to China Daily as a "revolutionary innovation."

The US National Interest website published an article on May 20, 2024 titled "China's 'UAV' aircraft carrier, why we need to pay close attention to it". US strategic scholars and military experts believe that the 076 amphibious assault ship, which is about to be launched and can carry drones, will fundamentally change the future naval warfare mode, and the United States must pay close attention to it.

TCG Anadolu, hull number L-400, is an amphibious assault ship / aircraft carrier of the Turkish Navy . It was originally planned to be configured as a V/STOL light aircraft carrier. It is now operated and fixed using short take-off and landing methods. Wing UAV, as UAV aircraft carrier. After Turkey planned to purchase F-35B fighter jets, it changed back to a design with a ski-jump takeoff deck. In 2019, the United States canceled the F-35 cooperation project due to Turkey's purchase of the S-400 missile system from Russia. In order to solve the dilemma of no available fixed-wing aircraft, Turkey transformed the ship into a drone aircraft carrier and began to develop the TB3 unmanned combat aviation vehicle , a variant of the Bayraktar TB2, for shipboard takeoff and landing.

On 10 April 2023 local time, Turkey's first "drone aircraft carrier" was officially commissioned into the navy. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attended the commissioning ceremony of the light aircraft carrier named "Anadolu". The "Anadolu" is 231 meters long, 32 meters wide, with a displacement of more than 27,000 tons.

On 23 August 2024 Iranian media unveiled the country's first ever aircraft carrier, the Shahid Bagheri , designed to facilitate the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Navy's drone operations at sea. The large ship was originally a container ship "Peralin" converted. The ship is 240 meters long, 32 meters wide , and has a full load displacement of about 42,000 tons.