Zhu Hai Yun Autonomous Drone Carrier

Built by Yunzhou Tech for the Southern Ocean Laboratory, the Zhu Hai Yun is an 88-meter ship that carries and deploys dozens of autonomous vehicles: aerial drones, unmanned surface boats (diesel, solar, and wave-powered), smart profile buoys, and underwater gliders. The IMOSOS AI system coordinates all vehicles for synchronized three-dimensional ocean observation.

The vessel is officially for marine science — mapping ocean currents, monitoring fisheries, collecting climate data across wide areas. But the dual-use implications are obvious: autonomous motherships coordinating drone swarms have clear military applications for surveillance and mine warfare.

Sea trials were completed in 2023. The technology represents a new category of naval vessel that no other country has deployed — an unmanned command ship for autonomous vehicle swarms.