 "The PLA will showcase its next-generation tanks and armoured vehicles during the military parade on September 3. Image courtesy: @lfx160219/X")
It is one of the world’s most powerful militaries. And come September 3, China will show off a new range of missiles, drones and other weapons at a huge military parade. The world will be keeping a close eye on the Asian giant’s growing capabilities , especially India, Taiwan, and the US.
Preparations are in full swing for the parade that will highlight the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) “new generation” of homemade and active-duty weaponry. Advanced armaments have been rolling through the streets of Beijing during rehearsals for the spectacle, which will be held next month at Tiananmen Square.
The September 3 parade will debut “hypersonic, anti-missile defence and strategic missiles to exhibit our strong strategic deterrence capabilities”, Major General Wu Zeke, deputy director of the operations bureau of the Joint Staff Department of the Central Military Commission, said at a press conference in Beijing on Wednesday (August 20).
Here’s what to expect from the military march.
Why is China holding a military parade on September 3?
China is holding the parade to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. It’s a significant moment in the country’s history, as the war ended after the surrender of Imperial Japan, which began invading China in 1931.
The event will be attended by President Xi Jinping at Tiananmen Square alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin, who also witnessed the 2015 parade. Several other foreign leaders are expected to join after the conclusion of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meeting on September 1.
It is expected to be the largest display of Chinese military equipment since the 2019 National Day parade , which celebrated 70 years of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Back then, the PLA unveiled a road-mobile intercontinental ballistic missile, a medium-range ballistic missile mated with a hypersonic glide vehicle, and its first undersea drone, according to a CNN report.
The country has come a long way since.
What will China display at this year’s military parade?
A rehearsal, which took place over the past weekend, gave a sneak peek into China’s military might. Thousands of personnel were involved; new hypersonic missiles and drones were seen rolling through the streets of Beijing, with some of the military hardware covered by huge tarpaulins.
The parade will display new tanks, autonomous vehicles for ground, naval and air use and electronic warfare equipment such as directed energy weapons and electronic jamming systems, Major General Wu said.
“The parade involves more than 10,000 personnel, over a hundred aircraft, and several hundred ground vehicles,” Major General Xu Guizhong, executive deputy director of the Parade Command Office of the PLA’s Central Theater Command, said during a recent briefing in Beijing.
More than 100 different types of equipment will be included, all of it battle-ready and domestically produced, Xu said, adding that a large proportion would be new armaments making their debut.
Photos and videos circulating online reveal some of China’s latest weapons – next-generation tanks, unmanned underwater and ground vehicles, a huge laser weapon and more.
Hypersonic and ballistic missiles
New anti-ship missiles from the YJ series are expected to be part of the march. The abbreviation YJ stands for Ying Ji, which translates to “Eagle Strike”. It is used on Chinese anti-ship missiles, which can be launched from vessels or aircraft. Photos from the drills also showed YJ-15 missiles and three hypersonic missiles – the YJ-17, YJ-19 and YJ-20.
According to Rick Joe, a longtime observer of Chinese military developments, the YJ-15 could be a supersonic missile, flying faster than the speed of sound, approximately 768 miles per hour, reports The Newsweek.
The YJ-17 and YJ-19 are capable of flying faster than five times the speed of sound and manoeuvring in flight, making them difficult to intercept. The YJ-20 could be a highly manoeuvrable aeroballistic missile, Joe suggested.
Military experts believe that YJ-17 and YJ-20 can manoeuvre in high-speed flight after separating from their launch rocket to avoid anti-missile defences, reports Financial Times (FT). The latter is likely designed to be launched from a ship. The YJ-19 could be a hypersonic ramjet missile.
The images of the parade rehearsal captured a new transporter-erector-launcher vehicle, carrying a missile canister. Though covered by a tarp, a South China Morning Post (SCMP) report says it’s a new or upgraded road-mobile intercontinental ballistic missile system.
The US and its allies will be watching the anti-ship missiles and hypersonic weapons closely, as China continues to exert power.
The sea drones
China is also expected to debut two massive unmanned underwater vehicles during the parade. At least two types of extra-large uncrewed underwater vehicles (XLUUVs) were spotted at the rehearsals, according to Naval News, a publication that focuses on naval technology.
They are roughly 60 feet in length, with torpedo-shaped hulls and pump-jet propulsion systems and are designed for stealth operations.
Based on the markings, there are four AJX002 submarines, which are similar to Russia’s Poseidon nuclear torpedo. The AJX002 features four lifting lugs along its hull, indicating that it is crane-assisted. However, it is unclear if the Chinese sea drones are nuclear-armed or nuclear-powered.
China runs the world’s largest XLUUV programme, The Newsweek reports, quoting Naval News, with at least five in action. However, these vehicles will be displayed for the first time during the September 3 parade.
Tanks
Tanks with uncrewed turrets and active protection systems have also been sighted during rehearsals. Such weapons are designed to protect against anti-tank weapons like the Javelin missile used by Ukraine against Russia .
The PLA’s next-gen armoured vehicles include a new light tank, which is smaller than Type 99A, China’s most advanced tank. Both of these are expected to be showcased at the parade.
The Type 99A main battle tank is the most advanced version of the Type 99 series and has been used by the Chinese military since 2011. It has an upgraded 105mm main gun, an enlarged turret, a four-sided radar, and an integrated propulsion system.
The new tank boasts of a four-sided radar, active protection systems, a laser weapon and an air defence gun. This helps in surviving against anti-tank missiles, rocket-propelled grenades, loitering munitions and drones, reports SCMP.
Other new armoured fighting vehicles and fire support vehicles are likely to be part of the parade.
The new weapons could be a reason for concern for Taiwan, which faces threats from China. “If PLA ground forces are equipped with uncrewed turrets and APS on a large scale, that creates a tough problem for our strategy of purchasing large amounts of anti-tank weapons for asymmetric warfare,” Sheu Jyh-Shyang, an assistant research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, a think-tank backed by Taiwan’s defence ministry, told FT.
Loyal wingman drone
An uncrewed combat air vehicle (UCAV) was also spotted during the try-outs. According to experts, the UCAV resembles the Chinese FH-97 or Feihong-97, the world’s first combat-ready “loyal wingman” aircraft.
This is an uncrewed aircraft designed to operate alongside manned aircraft, enhancing mission capabilities. These drones perform high-risk tasks, gather intelligence, and provide electronic warfare support. Collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) drones or loyal wingmen are designed to reduce pilot workload and risk to human life.
With the United States’ XQ-58A loyal wingman combat drone expected to be combat-ready by 2029, the FH-97 puts China ahead.
According to Andreas Rupprecht, a Chinese military aviation expert, the rehearsals have exceeded expectations. “Just focusing on the aviation segment and what China is expected to showcase – the rehearsals for the parade alone are already exceeding everything one could have expected,” he was quoted as saying by Defence Blog.
At the 70-minute-long Victory Parade, China is set to show off its most modern weaponry. The world will be watching, and the display might give rivals plenty of reasons to worry.
With inputs from agencies