Drone carrier

In March 2013, DARPA began efforts to develop a fleet of small naval vessels capable of launching and retrieving combat drones without the need for large and expensive aircraft carriers.

[4] According to the initial plans, the ship was expected to be equipped with F-35B fighter jets, but following the removal of Turkey from the procurement program, the vessel entered into a modification process to be able to accommodate UAVs.

[8] On May 18, 2022, the first Chinese unmanned drone carrier named Zhuhai Cloud ("Zhu Hai Yun") was launched in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province in China, intended to advance marine research and economics.

[12] Iran also built a drone carrier (named Shahid Bagheri) with an estimated 160 to 180m long flight deck by converting a container ship.

[22] The Royal Navy intends to operate fixed-wing drones from its two Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers to boost their combat mass.