China unveils advanced arms at military parade
BEIJING, Sep 3: China has showcased a range of new weapons at a massive military parade, including laser weapons, nuclear ballistic missiles, giant underwater drones, and fifth-generation aircraft. The giant LY-1 laser weapon, mounted on an eight-wheeled HZ-155 armoured truck, can effectively damage enemy optical sensors and is considered a significant advancement in naval warfare. Laser warfare is considered the new military domain, with India’s integrated air defense weapon system (IADWS) being praised for its high-power laser-based Directed-Energy Weapons (DEW) system.
China also displayed a new type of DF-5C liquid-fuelled intercontinental strategic nuclear missiles, which has an estimated range of more than 20,000 kms and advantages in defense penetration and precision. The PLA’s first air-launched nuclear missile, the JL-1, has been unveiled atop a military truck, significantly smaller than the JL-3 submarine-launched intercontinental ballistic missile. These missiles, along with the DF-61 and DF-31, represent the “first concentrated display” of the PLA’s “land, sea, and air triad strategic nuclear forces”, constituting a “strategic ace for safeguarding national sovereignty and defending national dignity.”
The PLA Rocket Force has displayed its new DF-26D, a variant of the DF-26 intermediate-range ballistic missile, which can carry both nuclear and conventional warheads and reportedly has a range of up to 5,000km. China has unveiled its fifth-generation combat planes on active duty for the first time in the grand parade, with all five models flying in several arrowhead-shaped groups. This marks the maiden public performance of the J-20S, the world’s first and only model of twin-seat stealth jet; the J-20A, an upgraded single-seat variant of the J-20 baseline configuration; and the J-35, the first radar-evading combat plane in the Navy.
In addition to these strategic missiles, the parade showcased the CJ-1000 vehicle-mounted supersonic cruise missile, the YJ-18C ship-launched cruise missile, and the YJ-21 air-launched ballistic missile. Four new types of hypersonic strike missiles were also displayed, highlighting the Navy’s ability to carry out ultrafast, long-distance precision strikes on hostile ships and land targets. (PTI)
