A very futuristic video of the prototype of a gigantic orbital drone carrier was recently broadcast by Chinese media. The new machine would be part of the Nantianmen project. Surprising as it is more science fiction than military... But in China, the two are not that far apart.

Published on: 02/19/2026 - 07:07

It’s a plane or ship that seems straight out of a science fiction work. And maybe he is. Luanniao, a future gigantic orbital drone carrier, was unveiled by Chinese state television CCTV in a promotional video broadcast at the end of January. A name that evokes a Chinese mythological bird.

Since then, it has flown from viral video to viral video on Chinese social media and beyond. The images of this gigantic flagship – which neither Captain Picard from “Star Trek” nor Han Solo, the famous pilot-smuggler from “Star Wars” would deny – are sure to impress.

“No traces of budgets”

The Luanniao is expected to measure 242 meters long and more than 600 meters wide to resemble an oversized and futuristic version of American stealth planes.

The video, which appears to have been partly made using AI, shows him flying to the edge of space. From up there, where the Luanniao would be sheltered from most anti-aircraft defenses, it could deploy dozens of Xuan Nu, drones which, for the moment, only exist on paper. These must be unmanned fighters capable of operating autonomously and in formation at very high altitudes.

To display this YouTube content, it is necessary to authorize audience measurement and advertising cookies.

An extension in your browser appears to be blocking the loading of the video player. To be able to watch this content, you must disable or uninstall it.

“It is obviously impossible in the current state of technological knowledge,” assures Michal Bogusz, political scientist and specialist in Chinese military issues at the Center for Oriental Studies in Warsaw. But for CCTV, it is only a matter of time. The video evokes around thirty years before seeing these space monsters take flight to defend China.

Above all, for the Chinese authorities, this Luanniao – which resembles the flying base of Marvel’s “Avengers” – is one of the first “concrete” elements of the Nantianmen project – literally, “gate to the southern sky” – launched in 2017.

An announcement which echoes the proliferation, in recent months, of content on Chinese social networks evoking "the Nantianmen project [which] is becoming reality" or which would be a "priority" for the army.

However, “nothing suggests the existence of any Nantianmen military program,” affirms Michal Bogusz.

The proof: follow the money… or rather the lack of it. “There is no trace of budgets for possible projects linked to Nantianmen. We can always imagine that it is very well concealed, but that does not fit with the promotion which is made very publicly,” believes this specialist.

A Nantianmen theme park

In reality, there is a Nantianmen project developed by the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (Avic). More precisely by the… cultural branch of this public aviation giant. “For me, this name has always been associated with the development of a science fiction brand,” emphasizes Jessica Imbach, researcher and specialist in Chinese media, literature and science fiction at the University of Freiburg im Breisgau.

“There was even a novel with this title in 2022 which takes up the traditional theme of humanity defending itself against an alien invasion,” specifies Michal Bogusz.

This book provided a story that inspired more than 100 futuristic weapons concepts at Avic, such as hypersonic planes, swarms of drones or even… orbital aircraft carriers, underlines the South China Morning Post.

Not forgetting… the theme park. A sort of “Nantianmen World” is due to open its doors in Shanghai in 2027. On 80,000 m2, visitors should be able to “experience the attack on a lunar base and its defense”, underlines the China Daily, press organ of the Chinese Communist Party.

“The goal is to offer immersive experiences around this universe with animations in virtual reality or augmented reality. The Chinese have already done the same thing for the “Three-Body Problem” trilogy [Chinese bestsellers adapted for the screen by Netflix, Editor's note],” explains Jessica Imbach.

Pushing young people into aeronautics

Nothing to do with a so-called ambitious military plan to dominate low space orbit. Except that "for almost a decade, China has been defending the idea that science fiction can be the link in an industrial chain allowing the promotion of Stim studies [Science, technology, engineering and mathematics, Editor's note]", affirms this expert.

For her, it is no coincidence that Chinese science fiction often belongs to the "Hard SF" movement, that is to say stories seeking to be as scientifically precise as possible.

In this context, the presentation video of the orbital drone carrier "can be perceived as a huge advertisement. It is a way of encouraging young people to invest more in aeronautics after having succeeded in getting some of them to turn to robotics", estimates Patrick Nicchiarelli, specialist in Chinese military issues for the International Team for the Study of Security (ITSS) Verona.

It’s like an official road map for Chinese students. “The goal is to show the concrete objective to be achieved,” adds Patrick Nicchiarelli. While making the video as attractive as possible by using imagery close to the world of Japanese anime, very popular among young people, adds this specialist.

The current promotion of the Nantianmen project can also be explained by the outbidding in the opposite camp. The United States of Donald Trump has brought “Star Wars” back into fashion with its Golden Dome defense project and speeches on the return of humans to the Moon and the conquest of Mars, so dear to Elon Musk.

Faced with this, “China also wants to sell its space project,” notes Patrick Nicchiarelli. The very futuristic aspect of this Nantianmen project has another advantage in terms of propaganda: it suggests that if it is possible to seriously imagine such a future, "the Chinese must already be very advanced".

Keywords associated with the article

The content you are trying to access does not exist or is no longer available.