China will showcase a range of newly developed weapons and a massive military parade on Wednesday to woo member nations in the SCO and show its technological prowess to its only military competitor, the United States.
September 3 is likely to shape the future of the global world order in terms of military and defence manufacturing. Social media is filled with photos of the latest cutting-edge missiles, underwater drones, ships, and anti-missile systems, which could pass on Beijing's Tiananmen Square on September 3.
While the majority of the high-tech modern weapons have not yet been displayed, the Russian president, Putin, and world leaders attending the military parade are typically enthusiastic about a rumoured gigantic laser weapon.
The military has said all the equipment presented is domestically produced and "in active duty". Apart from laser weapons, “Four new anti-ship missiles several metres long have been seen: the YJ-15, YJ-17, YJ-19, and YJ-20. ”YJ" is short for "Ying Ji", which means "eagle attack" in Chinese.
These versatile missiles can be launched by air, sea and land and are designed to inflict critical damage on large vessels, including ships and aircraft carriers. The YJ-17, YJ-19, and YJ-20 models could be hypersonic, meaning they can fly at least five times the speed of sound.
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China has also produced some of the most powerful underwater drones in the world, capable of sinking large naval warships. Two new, extra-large torpedo-shaped unmanned underwater vehicles have been spotted during the rehearsals. The first, labelled "AJX002", is 18 to 20 metres (59-66 feet) long, according to the website Naval News. The second was hidden under a tarpaulin.
Besides land and sea, it has also developed a mystery “satellite hunter”, HQ-29, which is capable of intercepting missiles at an altitude of 500 kilometres (310 miles), outside the Earth's atmosphere, as well as satellites in low orbit.
In a post on X, Zhao DaShuai, linked to the Chinese military, claims it is the "most powerful laser air defence system in the world". Additionally, experts who have studied the modernisation of the Chinese military expect some of the world's most dangerous weapons in Wednesday's parade to be displayed by the PLA, including intercontinental ballistic missiles, next-generation battlefield vehicles, tanks, and other field artillery systems with AI infusion.
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