A flying aircraft carrier, larger than any modern warship and heavier than a supertanker: "Luanniao" - China's new space superweapon for the wars of the future. For now, however, experts see it primarily as high-tech theater with a political message.
China's "Heaven's Gate"
China is planning an integrated air and space defense system called "Nantianmen" ("Heaven's Gate"). Its flagship is the flying aircraft carrier "Luanniao", 242 meters long, 684 meters wide and with an impressive takeoff weight of up to 120,000 tons. From its board, unmanned space fighters, called "Xuannü, will launch hypersonic missiles at targets in the atmosphere and in orbit.
"China is the second space power in the world - after the United States, but significantly ahead of Europe,", space security expert Juliana Süss from the German Science and Politics Foundation (SWP) told DW. Space holds a prestigious place among the Chinese leadership and is "extremely important for military capabilities", the expert also points out, adding that Beijing has invested a lot of money in this area.
🇨🇳Chinese State Media confirms the existence of the “NanTianMen Project”, a project that aimed to send a 120,000 ton class Orbital Strike Carrier into lower space orbit, capable of carrying 88 “White Emperor” Space fighters by 2040.pic.twitter.com/pmYdvQxnyq
— PLA Military Updates (@PLA_MilitaryUpd) January 14, 2026
With such a mass, the planned space carrier would surpass the largest existing platforms by about 20 percent. It is slightly shorter, but significantly wider than a classic naval aircraft carrier. The largest existing aircraft carrier at the moment, the USS Gerald R. Ford, has the following technical parameters: 337 meters long, 78 meters wide and about 100,000 tons of weight - including fuel, crew and equipment.
In a five-minute report on the military program "Lijian" on Chinese state television CCTV, the flying aircraft carrier in question is shown as a realistic 3D model that flies above the ground, launches space rockets and fires weapons into space. Excerpts from the report are also distributed on YouTube.
Why experts doubt
Purely technically, the project is far beyond the capabilities of what modern rockets are capable of putting into orbit. Even if we assume that the structure could arise on a modular basis, i.e. be assembled in space from separate parts, many other questions remain unresolved: about the energy supply, propulsion, cooling, protection from space debris and, above all, the costs.
German diplomat and space analyst Heinrich Kreft considers the project to be "completely unrealistic from today's point of view". But he does not rule out its implementation in the more distant future. "Many of the things that were science fiction 20 or 30 years ago are reality today", Kreft told DW. China is joining the race, which is also fueled by figures like Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos with their visions of colonizing the Moon and Mars, he added.
"Beijing wants you to believe that it is building flying aircraft carriers"
Other analyses also see "Luanyao" as a strategic signal rather than a ready-made project. The specialized publication The National Interest writes in this regard: "Beijing wants you to believe that it is building flying aircraft carriers".
Beijing wants the rest of the world to believe in this superweapon, regardless of whether it will be built or not, the publication also writes, adding that the vision "blurs the line between science fiction and military reality" and is intended to create confusion in the Western world and make it spend its resources.
Space analyst Heinrich Kreft sees in this move by Beijing a purposeful message in the race with the United States - against the background of the conflict over Taiwan. The expert recalls that China has recently bombarded the world with loud news about more and more new "superweapons". Western experts regularly describe them as unrealistic projects that are clearly part of China's strategy of intimidation.
"A show of force"
A similar opinion is shared by Juliana Süss of the "Science and Politics" Foundation. "This is about a show of force and a projection of power in different dimensions," says the expert. At the same time, she interprets the presentation of the flying aircraft carrier "Luanyao" as a response to US plans for missile defense in space: Donald Trump's planned "Golden Dome", which will be able to intercept missiles from space, is considered extremely ambitious from a technical point of view.
Although he sees the Chinese project as part of psychological warfare, expert Heinrich Kreft warns against being fooled. China is working on all possible projects and weapons systems of the future, for example in the laser field, where Beijing seems to be ahead of everyone else, Kreft says.
Author: Alexander Freund