[Popular Science of Chinese Military Technology] Will the aerial aircraft carriers in science fiction movies appear on future battlefields?

In many superhero and science fiction movies, aircraft carriers appear in the air many times, with their super-long decks, amazing size, and huge lift engines, which are impressive. Will this "aircraft carrier" really appear on future battlefields? If so, how valuable will it be on future battlefields?

An aerospace carrier is an aircraft carrier that can fly in the sky. Similar to an aircraft carrier, it can carry a large number of carrier-based aircraft and other air combat weapons on its deck. Similar to an aircraft carrier, if an aircraft carrier is a large-scale sea combat base, then an aerospace carrier is a large-scale air combat base.

Renderings of aerospace carriers in film and television works (Source: Baijiahao)

First of all, the biggest concern for aircraft carriers in the future is speed and defense when sailing at sea. In the future battlefield environment, a large number of artificial satellites, over-the-horizon radars, and unmanned reconnaissance systems can easily locate them. Due to the characteristics of ocean navigation, even if a missile cannot sink an aircraft carrier in one shot, it is enough to make an aircraft carrier lose its combat effectiveness. The value of an aerospace carrier lies in the fact that it can be separated from the ocean and can carry out "three-dimensional" defense in the air, and can even use material technology to actively evade detection in a stealth manner.

The rendering of the aerospace carrier flying at ultra-low altitude in the game (Source: Baijiahao)

If aircraft carriers are vulnerable to attack because of their large size and poor maneuverability, then another direction that can be considered for future airborne aircraft carriers is a miniaturized airborne aircraft carrier plus an unmanned attack aircraft. The "Gremlins" program implemented by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) of the United States Department of Defense earlier gives us a glimpse of this. A "Gremlins" drone weighs 680 kilograms and has a wingspan of nearly 3.5 meters. Once launched into the air, the "Gremlins" will unfold its wings, start its turbofan engine, and fly to airspace 500 kilometers away. After the mission is completed, the "Gremlins" will return to the mother ship and be inspected, maintained, and loaded like a carrier-based aircraft.

Although this verification plan is not perfect, this small "aircraft carrier" based on unmanned attack aircraft is a feasible development direction. It can not only perform various tactical requirements such as interception, interference, and pursuit, but the mother ship can also shoulder the functions of an airborne early warning aircraft and provide navigation and real-time control for the unmanned attack aircraft group. Because it is a swarm-type unmanned aircraft group strategy, in the dimension of big data technology, the "elfs" will share data and cooperate with each other, and will also transmit reconnaissance results and target information to other warships and fighters that can launch large missiles.

The effect of the aerospace carrier releasing an unmanned attack aircraft (Source: Sohu)

In fact, there have been aircraft similar to aerospace carriers in human history, and the famous airship is a typical example. But it is well known that airships were eliminated from the battlefield after a period of time. The main problems were slow flight speed, large size, insufficient weapons, and they became live targets for ground forces as soon as they appeared. If future aircraft carriers can solve the power system problem after getting rid of the constraints of the ocean, coupled with a large number of carrier-based attack aircraft carrying high-explosive ammunition, then it is not impossible for the new aerospace carrier to take on the form of an airship.

There is a famous advertising slogan "Why does your next iPhone have to be an iPhone?" Perhaps the aircraft carriers on the battlefield in the future do not have to be the traditional large aircraft carriers. As long as the concept of aircraft carriers still exists, the specific form will only change according to needs. Although the aerospace carrier is only a beautiful idea for now, with the advancement and development of military technology, the aerospace carrier or the concept of the aerospace carrier will definitely become a reality in the future.

Expert profile: Wang Teng, a popular science expert on military equipment, holds a master's degree from the Army Armored Forces Academy. He has worked in frontline military news at CCTV and People's Daily, and has participated in the planning and production of many military science and technology topics. He has been conducting popular science research on domestic and foreign high-tech equipment and main combat equipment of various arms for a long time. He has published articles on platforms such as People's Daily Overseas Edition, Legal Daily, and Science Popularization China, and won the Advanced Individual Award issued by the "National Informatization Leading Group".

Produced by: Popular Science of Chinese Military Technology

Author: Wang Teng (senior military science writer)

Scientific review: Wang Mingzhi (military expert)

Planning: Jin He

Producer: Guangming Online Science Department