CHINA has shown the world the latest high tech weapons being added to a growing military arsenal – but is all as it seems?
Xi Jinping wheeled out his flashy new hypersonic nukes, laser cannons and robot dogs among a slew of other impressive weapons at his major military parade in Beijing.
GettyThe ground assault formation showed off a huge range of heavily armed tanks[/caption]
AFPGiant HQ-29 anti-ballistic missiles were seen amid suggestions China’s weapons may be just for show[/caption]
A drone on show was the CS-5000T which is known as the flying wing due to its distinctive shapeEPA
GettyWith the world watching, Xi smiled as he walked flanked by Kim Jong-un and Vladimir Putin as the latest weapons were put on show[/caption]
With the world watching, Xi smiled as he walked flanked by Kim Jong-un and Vladimir Putin as the latest weapons were put on show.
The parade – marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War 2 – was a big chance for Xi to flaunt his military might on the world’s biggest stage.
An endless row of tanks, drones, armoured trucks, missiles and both sea and air planes were all shown off to both the Chinese people and their rivals.
But some are still doubting the true nature of Beijing’s weaponry and their ability to even use them on the battlefield.
Rob Peters, senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, a Washington-based think tank, told The Telegraph foreign officials will be looking for “technical indicators” to judge whether the weapons look real or like “bulls**t”.
Mr Peters added: “Whenever [China] shows new exquisite technologies it’s good to remember that we should be a little bit cautious that they’ve got the best stuff or they know how to use it.”
The Chinese military hasn’t taken part in combat since 1979, when it suffered heavy casualties during an invasion of north Vietnam.
Any future conflict would be Xi’s first foray into the gruelling world of war.
Nuclear missiles
At the parade China unveiled nuclear-capable missiles that can be launched from sea, land and air together.
It marked the first time they had shown off the “triad” of nuclear-ready capabilities.
Some of those seen included the air-based, long-range missile Jinglei-1.
ReutersThe Dongfeng-5C was unmasked for the first time[/caption]
ReutersA member of the People’s Liberation Army stands behind a trio of DF-5C nuclear missiles[/caption]
GettyThe submarine-launched intercontinental missile Julang-3 passed through the parade[/caption]
The submarine-launched intercontinental missile Julang-3 and the land-based intercontinental missiles Dongfeng-61 (DF-61) and Dongfeng-31.
Elsewhere, the Dongfeng-5C (DF-5C) missile was unmasked for the first time.
Experts have noted the weapon as particularly worrying as it is liquid-fuelled and can release multiple, independent warheads on a single target.
It has a reported range of more than 20,000km, can reach speeds of over 10 machs and can strike any military target in the world, according to state media.
Dr. Alessandro Arduino, an expert on Chinese private security, told The Sun the use of nukes at the event was “a clear message to the US and Europe that they are no longer untouchable”.
One of the key areas where China needed to impress was through their nuclear arsenal.
Xi often boasts about possessing the world’s largest military and some of the most advanced tech on the planet.
But when it comes to nuclear weapons they are far behind on what Russia and the US own.
Hypersonic anti-ship missiles
A range of anti-ship missiles were shown off including the ever growing Yingji range.
Spectators saw the YJ-15 which can travel at speeds of Mach 4 speeds and the YJ-20 which can deliver precisions strikes while expertly evading interceptors.
The YJ-17 has been coined the most disruptive of the new systems as it is a hypersonic glide vehicle configured for anti-ship operations.
Other missiles included the YJ-18C, YJ-19 and YJ-21 as well as cruise missiles in the form of the Changjian-20A, Changjian-1000, Dongfeng-17 and Dongfeng-26D.
ReutersThe YJ-17 has been coined the most disruptive of the new systems as it is a hypersonic glide vehicle configured for anti-ship operations[/caption]
APA range of anti-ship missiles were shown off including the ever growing Yingji range[/caption]
The new YJ 21 hypersonic anti-ship missile is seen on trucks during the military paradeGetty
Chinese state media say the huge range of options means they posses “all-weather combat capabilities”.
Many of them have been tested in the past against mockups of US aircraft carriers.
Anti-ship missiles are said to be one of America’s biggest concerns due to what it could mean for their ally Taiwan.
A looming invasion from Xi on the self-governing island would likely have to involve a battle between warships.
LASER CANNONS
Beijing has been developing top laser weapons as a defence against drone attacks.
A full range of anti-drone systems were on full display at the parade including a missile gun, high-energy laser weapons and high-power microwave weapons.
The LY-1 laser weapon was paraded around mounted on top of an eight-wheeler HZ-155 armoured truck.
This weapon is touted to be very powerful and can reportedly disable or burn out electronics and may be able to directly blind pilots.
ReutersPeople’s Liberation Army soldiers stand as the maritime operations group displays laser weapons[/caption]
AFPThe laser cannons are set to play a crucial role in Beijing’s growing arsenal[/caption]
HandoutAn image circulating on Tuesday purportedly showing the ‘most powerful laser air defence system in the world’[/caption]
State media described the weapons as a formidable “triad” for the People’s Liberation Army.
In recent years, laser defence systems have become an integral part of warfare.
High-energy laser beams can take down drones for as little as £10 a shot – reducing the cost of firing a pricey missile at an incoming target.
Drones
China was also keen to show off their multitude of unmanned drones which can be operated underwater and in the sky.
Beijing displayed two types of an extra-large uncrewed underwater vehicle known as XLUUVs.
The sea drone AJX002 was also seen which is estimated to be around 60ft long.
AFPAnother drone on show was the CS-5000T which is known as the flying wing due to its distinctive shape[/caption]
AFPThe sea drone AJX002 was also seen which is estimated to be around 60ft long[/caption]
ReutersDozens of huge unmanned drones were on display[/caption]
Built to be deployed on stealth missions, the pump-jet propulsion systems are set to be pivotal in seawarfare.
The UUV-300 series are also armed with up to four lightweight torpedoes which can cruise at 12 knots.
They are able to deploy EM-12 bottom mines to disrupt a whole range of deep sea activities from the enemy.
Another drone on show was the CS-5000T which is known as the flying wing due to its distinctive shape.
Robot dogs, tanks and warplanes
One of the more extraordinary weapons was the robotic dog drones.
The distinctive four-legged bots have been in the works for years and are constantly being developed.
They have been designed to move and run like a cheetah through an extensive artificial intelligence system fitted inside that helps it to improve after every run.
Shutterstock EditorialChina’s robot armed weapons systems – often dubbed robo-dogs – were seen[/caption]
Shutterstock EditorialMilitary helicopters were placed on trucks and shown off[/caption]
Shutterstock EditorialHundreds of tanks rolled down the Square[/caption]
And with the help of machine learning, the robot adapts its gait to various terrains in a bid to give the best performance.
The dogs can even operate in all terrain and all weather including snow and rocky mountains.
Over 100 aircraft were on show as well as hundreds of tanks.
GettyThe sea-based unmanned warfare formation passes through Tiananmen Square including warships and underwater drones[/caption]
Shutterstock EditorialThe long-range artillery formation rolled down[/caption]
Shutterstock EditorialShip-based air defense weapons at the parade[/caption]