China says more than 80 percent of the gear is being shown in public for the first time.
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The Beijing display reportedly featured 12,000 troops, about 200 planes and helicopters and around 500 troop carriers, rocket launchers, missiles and tanks.
Also on show in Beijing were longer-range weapons, prompting one commentator on Chinese state television to exclaim: “Look at this missile!”
Observers will be looking for an appearance by the DF-16, a short-range ballistic missile loaded two to a truck, along with the DF-21D, an intermediate-range, anti-ship ballistic missile capable of sinking an American aircraft carrier in a single strike. China’s rising capabilities also expose the vulnerability of Taiwan, the self-governing island democracy that Beijing claims as its own territory and threatens to conquer by force if necessary.
The missile, formally known as the Dongfeng 21D (DF-21D) but also known as the “carrier-killer”, is rumored to have a range of up to 1,000 miles and may be able to travel up to 10 times the speed of sound, making it virtually impossible to intercept once launched, according to the Financial Times (registration required).
The technology is untested but it underlines “the growing importance of China’s naval forces” as Beijing seeks to project its power more widely in the air and on sea, he added.
Arthur Ding, a military expert at Taiwan’s National Chengchi University, cautioned that the missiles’ effective use required advanced coordination between satellites and ships, and that the US has “many countermeasures” available. “This is important because the United States has barely started to respond to China’s first generation anti-access ensemble targeting the first island chain, like the DF-21D ASBM”. “A good indicator would be to see how much effort U.S. missile defense systems will spend on the DF-26 and DF-21D”.
The fact that China showcased new anti-ship cruise and ballistic missiles together at the parade underscores arguments that China plans to overwhelm the US Navy with saturation strikes during a war, Fisher said.
But he added that it will “somewhat complicate USA operations in this region”.
China said in May that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) navy will put a greater emphasis on “open seas protection”, rather than “offshore waters defense” alone.
– It was the first Chinese military parade marking any anniversary of the war and the first with foreign military participation. Only the USA leads China in global defense spending. Among the scores of armored vehicles, tanks and mobile artillery featuring in the parade, observers will be watching especially for the latest iteration of China’s main battle tank.
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China’s troops will “carry out the noble mission of upholding world peace“, he added, and will never “seek hegemony”.
