According to reports, the vessel is capable of carrying dozens upon dozens drones and unmanned ships as well as submersibles.
China has unveiled the world’s first autonomous drone carrier vessel, which can be used for both maritime research and security purposes, hosting dozens of unmanned planes, local media have reported.
According to South China Morning Post the launch of Zhu Hai Yun (88-meter) took place Wednesday. This vessel is capable of being controlled remotely, or can navigate independently in open water. The report also stated that the vessel will greatly contribute to marine scientific research. The Zhu Hai Yun could be deployed for marine disaster prevention and offshore wind farm maintenance, China’s Science and Technology Daily reports.
Aside from these civilian uses, the carrier could also reportedly be deployed to intercept “Targets that are invasive”
A unique artificial intelligence system onboard the Zhu Hai Yun allows for navigation without any human assistance. It is called the Intelligent Mobile Ocean Stereo Observing Systems (IMOSOS) and was created by Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory.
Speaking to the Science and Technology Daily outlet last year, Chen Dake, the director of the laboratory, said the “intelligent, unmanned ship is a beautiful, new ‘marine species’ that will bring revolutionary changes for ocean observation.”
Chinese media reports that the drone carrier can travel at speeds up to 18 km/h (33 km/hour).
All parts of Zhu Hai Yun were created and made in China. It is scheduled to be operational by the end.
Similar technology has been explored by Turkey. Forbes published a May 2012 report that Baykar, a national drone manufacturer had developed a method to transform the Anadolu assault vessel into a drone carrier. However, media reports suggest that Ankara hasn’t yet completed the project.
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