See the world's first drone aircraft carriers
A race is on to build a revolutionary new class of ship: Drone aircraft carriers.
Tech advances suggest drones may pack some punch at a fraction of an aircraft carrier's cost.
BI assessed the naval race through three of the world's first drone carriers.
China recently launched the world's largest amphibious assault ship. Its features drove widespread speculation that it was the world's first purpose-built drone carrier.
China would be the third country to operate a drone carrier. Two others — Turkey and Iran — have adapted existing ships to launch aerial drones.
Drone carriers are a relatively new concept previously reserved for science fiction and defense industry trade shows. These ships mark what could be a new era of warship construction akin to the launching of HMS Dreadnought in 1906, which revolutionized battleship design. They capitalize on the growing reach of drones and the ability of a large ship to rapidly launch them near an enemy's shores.
The specifics of what constitutes a drone carrier and its military value are hotly debated, much as other ship classes have been in history.
In the most literal sense, virtually any ship can be a drone carrier, as almost all ships are capable of launching handheld drones. Even larger drones that require the use of a small catapult and recovery net, like the AAI RQ-2 Pioneer and the Boeing Insitu RQ-21 Blackjack, have been used on all kinds of US Navy vessels since the mid-1980s.
Larger fixed-wing drones have also operated on the decks of aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships before. In 2013, Northrup Grumman's X-47B demonstrator was launched from and landed on the deck of the USS George H. W. Bush, and, more recently, General Atomics' Gray Eagle STOL UAV took off from a South Korean amphibious assault ship.
Long before those two, the US Navy's TDN-1 drones demonstrated the ability to take off from carriers in 1944.
But those efforts were largely tests or one-offs. The concept of a drone carrier goes well beyond: a ship with a large flight deck designed to launch waves of drones, much like an aircraft carrier sorties piloted aircraft. In essence, it is a dedicated, purpose-built drone carrier.
There's disagreement over which country has technically built the first drone carrier — much like the debate over who built the first aircraft carrier in the early 20th century. And the contestants in this race are countries that haven't traditionally been the world's leading global navies.
Turkey is the first country to claim the commissioning of a drone carrier. Ordered in 2015, launched in 2018, and commissioned in 2023, TCG Anadolu is 757 feet long and displaces 27,436 tons. It is the Turkish Navy's most advanced vessel and current flagship.
Though the Turkish government claims 70% of Anadolu was built with domestic components, the ship's design is that of Spain's Juan Carlos I amphibious assault ship.
Like its Spanish forebear, Anadolu was originally intended to carry an air wing of helicopters and manned short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) jets — specifically American F-35B stealth strike fighters.
However, in 2019, Turkey was kicked out of the F-35 program due to its purchase of Russian-made S-400 surface-to-air missile systems, which US and NATO officials worried could be used to gather intelligence on the F-35.
Rather than limit Anadolu's air wing to just helicopters, the Turks opted to repurpose the ship into the world's first drone carrier, relying on its world-class drone industry to provide the aircraft.
Two drone models will operate from the Anadolu: the Bayraktar TB3 and the Bayraktar Kızılelma. Both were developed by the well-known maker Baykar. The TB3 is a navalized variant of the company's combat-proven propeller-driven TB2 drone that features folding wings, a strengthened suspension, and a more powerful engine.
Baykar says it has an endurance of over 21 hours and can carry up to 617 pounds of ordnance. It can be used for both surveillance and strike missions, especially against enemies with no or low-tier air defenses.
Baykar describes the Kızılelma as a "fighter UAV" that features a turbofan jet engine enabling it to reach a max speed of Mach 0.9 and fly as high as 45,000 feet. It can also carry 3,300 pounds of weapons on external hardpoints and in internal weapons bays.
Turkish officials have said that the Anadolu's air wing will be composed of 12 unmanned combat aircraft. The ship can also carry AH-1W Cobra and T129 attack helicopters and SH-60B Seahawks.
In November, the TB3 made history by successfully taking off from and landing on the TCG Anadolu, becoming the first fixed-wing drone to take off and land on a short-deck ship. In January, a TB3 successfully conducted its first strike against a mock target.
On February 6, Iran became the second country to claim the commissioning of a drone carrier. The vessel, known as the Shahid Bahman Bagheri, is a converted container ship.
Conversion began in 2022, when an angled flight deck was added to its hull. In 2023, a similarly angled ski-jump ramp pointing starboard was added at the bow.
The design means that wheeled drones will take off and land at an angle, a system likely pursued for practical reasons to avoid obstruction by the ship's tower.
According to Iranian officials, Shahid Bahman Bagheri has a 590-foot flight deck, a displacement of 41,978 tons, a range of 22,000 nautical miles, and the ability to carry and deploy armed fast-attack craft.
The ship could be a showcase for Iran's potent drone technology, which has helped Russia repeatedly strike Ukraine.
Tehran has publicized footage of multiple drone models on the ship. These include two Mohajer-6 reconnaissance/strike drones, an apparently modified Ababil-3 reconnaissance/strike drone which was seen launching from the Bagheri's deck, and two small Homa drones.
The most intriguing model, however, is a new UAV apparently based on a planned indigenous stealth fighter project that was known as the Qaher-313.
Little is known of this new drone. Seven were recorded on Bagheri's deck in two variants, both of which were smaller than the previously seen Qaher-313 prototype. Some have speculated that the four larger models may be able to carry weapons internally to reduce their radar return. Only the smaller variant has been seen taking off and landing on Bagheri, propelled by a small jet engine.
Bagheri's air wing may eventually include navalized variants of other models, as well as loitering munitions like the Shahed-136 that has been routinely used to attack Ukraine. Bagheri is also claimed to be able to launch unmanned submersible vessels as well.
The Bagheri is part of the naval branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a paramilitary organization that has acquired a number of sophisticated sea-going vessels in recent years.
China's entry into the drone carrier race was launched on December 27. Named Sichuan, the ship is based on China's Type 075-class amphibious assault ship, and has been modified for better flight ops, including changes like the positioning of its elevators and two command islands.
The lead ship of the Type 076-class, Sichuan measures 853 feet long and reportedly displaces over 40,000 tons, making it the largest amphibious assault ship in the world. It is slightly longer than the 844-foot America-class LHA.
Sichuan's defining features are the large catapult embedded on its port side and arresting gear on its deck — firsts for any amphibious assault ship. The catapult can launch fixed-wing aircraft while its arresting gear enables fixed-wing landings.
With no crewed short-landing and take-off aircraft in Chinese service, there is little doubt that Sichuan's air wing is meant to be mostly unmanned. The most likely model would be the GJ-11 Sharp Sword, a jet-powered stealthy flying wing design believed to be intended for strike missions.
Images of GJ-11 mockups from airshows show two internal weapon bays that some speculate may be able to carry over 4,400 pounds of ordnance. A concept video from the Aviation Industry Corporation of China, the drone's state-owned manufacturer, shows a ship-launched GJ-11 deploying six decoy aircraft to confuse an enemy ship's air defenses and possibly launch electronic warfare attacks.
The GJ-11 may also serve as a "loyal wingman" to manned fighter jets, possibly supplementing Chinese carrier-borne J-15 fighters and J-35 stealth fighters.
Given its size, Sichuan may be able to carry as many as a dozen GJ-11s. Its future air wing may also consist of navalized variants of other drones in China's inventory or under development.
Of the three ships, only Anadolu and Bagheri have been commissioned into official service. Anadolu has participated in naval exercises while Bagheri conducted sea trials in the Persian Gulf late last year and has since sailed with other IRGCN vessels.
Sichuan, meanwhile, is finishing up final fitting out in preparation for its first sea trials.
Drone carriers are valuable not only for their ability to deploy uncrewed reconnaissance/strike aircraft. They can also help save on costs: training drone pilots is easier and faster than training jet pilots, and it's likely faster and cheaper to replace lost UAVs.
With navies looking to unmanned assets to increase their numbers while limiting serious losses, drone carriers are likely to play an increasingly important role in the future.
Benjamin Brimelow is a freelance journalist covering international military and defense issues. He holds a master's degree in Global Affairs with a concentration in international security from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. His work has appeared in Business Insider and the Modern War Institute at West Point.
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