China builds drone mothership capable of launching autonomous military attacks

Fears of World War Three breaking out have increased after China unveiled a new artificial intelligence “drone mothership”.

The Zhu Hai Yun ship has the capability to launch attacks on its enemies autonomously, the UK-based Daily Star reports.

The ship was allegedly built as a marine research vessel, but it now carries around 50 ariel, undersea and surface drone missiles.

Measuring 290 ft long, and looking like something out of the Final Fantasy VIII game, it was launched out of Guangzhou last week.

Senior United States military expert and security analyst Timothy Heath told the South China Morning Post that the drone carrier might deploy to remote locations to deploy smart mines, for example.

“The most immediate benefit to the PLA is the increase in knowledge about relevant waters through the collection of data by the UUVs (unmanned underwater vehicles).

“This can help PLA Navy submarines operate with greater confidence and effectiveness in those areas.

“With no human on board, the vessel in autonomous mode could make bad decisions in the face of unexpected circumstances, resulting in mission failure.”

However, a Chinese military expert claimed that the ship was just going to be used for “ocean observation".

Zhou Chenming, a researcher from the Yuan Wang military science and technology think tank, said that the intelligent, unmanned ship would bring revolutionary changes for ocean observation.

“This ship can at most be deployed to relatively stable waters near the shore, where most of the warfare or conflict won’t occur.

“I think this vessel’s biggest contribution is the replacement of the increasingly expensive labour cost in economic or commercial activities in the near seas,” he said.

Last week, fresh concerns were raised about Taiwan after the Chinese People‘s Liberation Army (PLA) Eastern Theatre Command has conducted a “live fire” military exercise in the South China Sea.

State-backed media outlet The People’s Daily reported China had organized “different branches of the forces for joint patrols and live-fire training exercises” in the seas around Taiwan.