China Confirms ‘Nantianmen Project,’ Plans 120,000-Ton Orbital Strike Carrier With 88 Space Aircraft by 2040

BEIJING : In a disclosure that is intensifying global debate over the future of warfare, Chinese state media has formally confirmed that the long-speculated Nantianmen Project—also known as South Heaven Gate—has moved beyond conceptual imagery and into China’s active military research and defense planning. The announcement marks one of the clearest indications yet that Beijing intends to secure a decisive power edge in near-space and low-Earth orbit, redefining how military power may be projected in the coming decades.

The confirmation was aired by China Central Television, citing internal research and planning discussions associated with the PLA Air Force Command College. Together, the reports frame Nantianmen as a strategic technology architecture, guiding the development of space-air integrated combat systems through the 2030s and toward an anticipated deployment horizon around 2040.

The Luan Niao: A Fortress in the Sky

At the core of the Nantianmen vision is the Luan Niao, a proposed orbital strike carrier whose scale and ambition have few historical parallels. Chinese sources describe the platform as displacing approximately 120,000 tons, making it heavier than even the largest U.S. naval supercarriers.

According to official data and design illustrations released through state-linked channels, the Luan Niao would measure roughly 242 meters in length, with a wingspan of about 684 meters. Military analysts appearing on CCTV described it as a persistent command-and-control hub, capable of remaining aloft in the stratosphere and potentially transitioning into lower orbit for extended periods.

The carrier is envisioned as the central node of an “integrated space–air strategic defense system”, linking satellites, airborne platforms, drones and ground-based forces into a single network. From this position, Chinese planners argue, the platform could coordinate operations across air, space, cyber and electronic warfare domains.

Propulsion, Endurance and Power Generation

Propulsion details remain among the most controversial aspects of the project. State presentations reference multi-cycle aerospace engines combined with nuclear-derived power systems, a configuration intended to provide both sustained lift and long-duration energy supply.

Some Chinese materials have alluded to cold nuclear fusion concepts, a claim widely met with skepticism by international scientists. Chinese officials, however, have stressed that Nantianmen represents a technology roadmap and research target, not a finalized or operational design. The emphasis, they say, is on identifying future breakthroughs in energy density, propulsion efficiency and thermal management.

Weapons, Sensors and Global Strike Potential

Chinese media portray the Luan Niao as far more than a carrier. Conceptual armament includes directed-energy weapons, high-energy particle systems, and layered laser defenses designed to counter missiles, satellites, hypersonic glide vehicles and hostile spacecraft.

Analysts on CCTV suggested that a platform operating from near-space could enable rapid global strike capability, allowing targets anywhere on Earth to be engaged within hours. Such reach would dramatically reduce dependence on overseas bases and maritime logistics, which Chinese planners increasingly view as vulnerable in a high-intensity conflict.

If realized, this approach would represent a doctrinal shift—from sea-based power projection to persistent dominance from above the atmosphere.

The Air Wing: White Emperor and Xuan Nu

The Nantianmen framework also details a sophisticated air wing combining unmanned saturation with elite manned platforms. According to state media, the Luan Niao is designed to deploy up to 88 Xuan Nu unmanned combat aerial vehicles. These UCAVs are described as highly maneuverable, capable of operating at extreme altitudes and, in some depictions, transitioning briefly into the vacuum of space.

Operating alongside them is the White Emperor, also known as Baidi, a proposed sixth-generation integrated space–air fighter. A full-scale mock-up of the Baidi Type-B displayed at the Zhuhai Airshow in 2024 attracted global attention.

Chinese engineers describe the White Emperor as capable of hypersonic flight, orbital insertion, and atmospheric re-entry, serving as the primary combat platform while the Xuan Nu provides numerical mass and reconnaissance.

From Science Fiction to Strategic Tool

The Nantianmen Project first appeared publicly in 2017 as a promotional intellectual property initiative by the Aviation Industry Corporation of China, complete with stylized artwork and fictional narratives involving extraterrestrial threats. For years, it was dismissed outside China as science-fiction branding rather than a credible military plan.

That perception has shifted sharply. Wang Mingzhi, a military analyst at the PLA Air Force Command College, stated on CCTV that Nantianmen’s concepts now function as “technology targets” for China’s defense industry. He emphasized that the project guides research into advanced propulsion, materials science, artificial intelligence, energy generation and space–air integration, reflecting how China expects future wars to be fought.

How Nantianmen Could Give China a Power Edge

Strategically, Nantianmen signals Beijing’s ambition to secure dominance in space-adjacent domains. Platforms like the Luan Niao could provide persistent surveillance, early-warning superiority, and the ability to disrupt enemy satellites, communications and navigation systems at the outset of a conflict.

Military analysts note that such capabilities would allow China to blind and disorient adversaries, degrading command networks before traditional forces engage. Near-space platforms could also function as anti-satellite hubs, threatening the orbital infrastructure on which modern militaries—and civilian economies—depend.

A Catalyst for a New Space Arms Race

International reaction has been cautious and, in some quarters, alarmed. While many experts question the technical feasibility of a 120,000-ton orbital carrier by 2040, others argue that feasibility is not the primary message. An analysis by The National Interest noted that China is clearly signaling its intent to treat the mesosphere and low-Earth orbit as decisive battlefields.

Critics warn that initiatives like Nantianmen could accelerate the weaponization of space, prompting rival powers to pursue similar systems. Such a trend, they argue, risks igniting a new global arms race, extending strategic competition far beyond Earth’s atmosphere.

Whether the Nantianmen Project ultimately produces an operational orbital carrier remains uncertain. What is increasingly clear, however, is that China is openly repositioning space and near-space at the center of its long-term military strategy—challenging traditional assumptions about where wars are fought, how power is projected, and who controls the ultimate high ground in the decades ahead.