China offered a glimpse of its growing military might in a parade in Beijing on Wednesday (Sept. 3), showing off new hypersonic and intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICMBs) and drone systems.
The parade was held to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. A number of new systems were on display for the first time, including those capable of delivering nuclear weapons from the air, sea and land, demonstrating a global strike capability.
Systems on display include the JL-1 (Jinglei-1) air-launched long-range missile and JL-3 (Julang-3) submarine-launched intercontinental missile. Also rolled out were the DF-61 land-based ICBM and the new type DF-31BJ land-based intercontinental missile.
Images from the parade also showed systems including the newly revealed AJX-002 giant submarine drone, GJ-11 stealth attack drone, which can accompany fighter jets, and CS-5000T stealth drone. Also featured was the YJ-19 anti-ship missile.
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One weapon on display with a space-related capability was the HQ-19, a midcourse ballistic missile defense interceptor that may also be used to target objects in low Earth orbit (LEO) such as satellites.
A variant of the HQ-19 is believed by some analysts to have been used for China’s 2007 anti-satellite test, which targeted a defunct Fengyun weather satellite in LEO, generating both a large cloud of space debris and vocal international condemnation.
The Chinese state news agency Xinhua stated that the massive military parade was part of “pledging the country’s commitment to peaceful development in a world still fraught with turbulence and uncertainties.” The display also serves as a demonstration of capabilities and a deterrent.
