China unveils ‘Star Wars’-like missile warship for space combat

China has revealed ambitious plans to build a futuristic space warship equipped with hypersonic missiles and unmanned fighter jets.

In a widely circulating video released by China's army, a Star Wars-like missile warship, named Luanniao, can be seen which could fly to the edge of Earth’s atmosphere.

While flying above Earth, Luanniao can launch unmanned fighter jets straight into orbit and blast missiles into space.

As a part of the Nantianmen project for air and space defense, Luanniao showcases a 242-meter-long craft with a 684-meter wingspan and 120,000-ton takeoff weight.

According to Beijing state media, the futuristic warship would carry up to 88 unmanned Xuan Nu fighter jets, making it the largest warship of its kind.

When it comes to operational capacity, as per China’s claims it could take the next 20-30 years to build and deploy such a warship. If successful, it would level up China’s space and air capabilities and initiate space combat.

Experts like Heinrich Kreft call it unrealistic due to propulsion, lift, and debris challenges.

“For the external audience, it does paint the picture that they are working on technology that the region just can’t aspire to – it’s literally Star Wars stuff,” Peter Layton, a defense expert said.