The military parade to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of Communist China was always going to be a grand spectacle. As photos from the preparations emerged online, it was clear that the Chinese government would put a large amount of previously unseen weapons and other hardware on display, including new mockups of stealthy unmanned combat air vehicles, examples of high-speed rocket-powered reconnaissance drones, new bombers capable of carrying outsized payloads, and much more.
As it turned out, the celebrations in Tiananmen Square were especially grandiose, with Xi Jinping making pointed appeals to Chinese nationalism and the country’s growing influence globally, themes also present in a recently released national defense policy white paper, throughout. “It was today, 70 years ago, that Chairman Mao stood at this very place and announced solemnly to the world the founding of the People’s Republic of China, which marks the end of more than 100 years of humiliation and misery the country had suffered since modern times,” Xi declared in his speech.
So, it’s perhaps not surprising that the parade was particularly jam-packed with very clearly Chinese weapons and other equipment and had a heavy focus on strategic deterrence, including the country’s latest nuclear delivery systems, and advanced weapons, like hypersonic missiles and unmanned platforms. It would take too long to go through everything that was on display, but here are four systems The War Zone thinks are especially significant in addition to our analysis of two advanced aerial systems we have already posted.
The DF-41 intercontinental ballistic missile
China’s anniversary parade included 16 DF-41 road-mobile intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM), marking the first time the country had publicly displayed these weapons. With an estimated range of around 9,300 miles, they are China’s longest-range strategic nuclear weapons.
The missile has a multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle (MIRV) configuration, though how many warheads it can actually carry is unclear. There have been unconfirmed reports in the past that it may be able to accommodate between 6 and 10 nuclear weapons...
The DF-17 hypersonic missile
It is something of an open secret that China has been developing hypersonic boost-glide vehicles for some time now. The appearance of 16 mockups of the DF-17, the first time this weapon has been shown in any format, at the parade only drove home Chinese ambitions in this regard.
The DF-17, which has reportedly been in testing since at least 2017, uses the rocket booster from the already operational DF-16B short-range ballistic missile. On top, instead of a traditional warhead, however, is an unpowered hypersonic boost-glide vehicle, which reports have previously referred to as the DF-ZF or WU-14.
The JL-2 submarine-launched ballistic missile
China’s 70th anniversary parade interestingly included 12 JL-2 submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM) carried on trucks. Though these have reportedly been in active service on board the People’s Liberation Army Navy’s nuclear-powered Type 094 Jin class ballistic missile submarines, the Chinese government had not displayed any examples publicly.
Whatever the case, the PLAN’s six Type 094s, each of which can carry 12 JL-2s, form the backbone of China’s naval nuclear deterrent. The Chinese have been working to expand the capabilities of their ballistic missile submarine force, including the development of a future JL-3 SLBM. The PLAN’s Jin class boats are already, by their nature, are difficult for opponents to track.
HSU-001 unmanned undersea vehicle
Unmanned systems were a big feature of the 70th anniversary parade, but the systems on display weren’t limited just to flying drones. China also revealed a large unmanned undersea vehicle, possibly known as the HSU-001, given the markings on the two examples in the procession.
Based on the truck carrying them, the HSU-001 appears to be similar in size to Boeing’s Echo Seeker design. Boeing’s Echo series also includes the much larger Echo Voyager, which served as a stepping stone to its winning bid for the U.S. Navy’s Orca Large Displacement UUV (LDUUV) program.
With all these systems, and many more, now having made their official public debut, we may begin to learn more about their specific capabilities and intended roles. What is already clear is that China’s military modernization is continuing at a brisk pace and the country is pushing ahead more and more toward closing capability gaps with its largest competitors, namely the United States.
It certainly appears that America’s military dominance in the Asia-Pacific region is continuing to erode.
No comments:
Post a Comment