Jiutian was first unveiled publicly at the Zhuhai Airshow in November 2024 as a modular, multi-role platform.

The successful flight in Shaanxi Province marks the program’s transition from concept and exhibition to systems validation.

First Flight Milestone

The maiden flight of Jiutian took place on December 11, 2025, in Pucheng, Shaanxi Province, with Chinese state media describing the test as successful.

The aircraft completed takeoff and landing without incident, validating its basic aerodynamic layout, propulsion integration, and flight-control systems.

While no flight duration was disclosed, the event formally initiates the platform’s flight-test phase, a key step toward operational maturity.

Jiutian is developed under the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) and designed by AVIC’s First Aircraft Institute.

It is a large, jet-powered unmanned aerial vehicle, a category that remains relatively rare globally due to cost, complexity, and propulsion demands.

The test follows roughly 13 months after the drone’s public debut at the 2024 Zhuhai Airshow, suggesting a compressed development-to-flight timeline.

Scale and Design

Official specifications place Jiutian at a maximum takeoff weight of 16 tonnes with a payload capacity of 6,000 kg, positioning it well above medium-altitude long-endurance drones.

The aircraft measures 16.35 meters in length with a 25-meter wingspan, and is designed for up to 12 hours of endurance and a 7,000 km ferry range.

Chinese sources describe it as having a high operational ceiling, a wide speed envelope, and short takeoff and landing capability.

The airframe features a high-wing configuration, an H-tail, and a single rear-mounted jet engine, paired with tricycle landing gear housed in wing sponsons.

Additional performance figures cited in defense reporting include an operational ceiling of approximately 15,000 meters (49,200 ft) and speeds ranging from about 108 knots to 378 knots, underscoring its flexibility across mission profiles.

“Drone Carrier” Concept

Jiutian has been repeatedly characterized as an aerial “drone carrier” or swarm mothership.

The platform may be able to deploy up to 100 loitering munitions or small drones from its fuselage, alongside carrying payloads on eight external hardpoints.

This configuration supports intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), electronic warfare, signal relay, and strike coordination roles.

Chinese state media have emphasized the platform’s dual-use design, highlighting civil missions such as heavy cargo delivery, emergency communications restoration, disaster relief, and geographic surveying.