China Unveils World’s 1st Crewless Drone Carrier

Zhu Hai Yun is a Chinese maritime research vessel capable of carrying dozens of air, sea, and submersible drones..

It is the world's first intelligent unmanned system mother ship, says its builder, CSSC Huangpu Wenchong Shipping Co.

Experts say that the 290-foot-long ship, which deploys artificial intelligence to navigate autonomously in open water, may be the future of naval warfare.

Zhua Hai Yun would enable China to collect more data regarding disaster mitigation, environmental monitoring, etc.

However, data collection can have other reasons, such as achieving military objectives.

Data collected from autonomous systems could aid with surveillance, help its submarines navigate, and enhance China's anti-submarine warfare capabilities.

The Zhu Hai Yun uses the world's first AI system, the Intelligent Mobile Ocean Stereo Observing System.

The ship will be controlled remotely and can travel at a maximum speed of 18 knots.