BEIJING, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- China presented fewer
servicemen but showed more armaments to the world here Thursday morning in a
grand military parade marking New China's 60th founding anniversary.
Fifty-six phalanxes marched past or flew over
Tian'anmen Squareat the heart of Beijing, symbolizing China's 56 ethnic groups
marching in solidarity along the road of socialism with Chinese characteristics.
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Participants wait at the Tian'an men Square to take part in the celebrations for the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, in central Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 1, 2009. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)
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More than 8,000 soldiers of 32 ethnic groups
participated in the formations, among which 14 marched through Chang'an Avenue
on foot, 30 in wheeled transport and 12 air echelons.
Compared with the 1999 military parade that involved more
than 10,000 servicemen, the number of formations marching on foot this year
dropped from 17 to 14, phalanxes in wheeled transport rose from 25 to 30, while
air echelons increased from 10 to 12. Four services of the People's Liberation
Army (PLA) -- Army,Navy, Air Force and the Second Artillery Corps (SAC), joined
the grand parade together with armed police and reserve duty units in a show of
the complete establishment of China's armed forces. While reducing the number of
parading servicemen, China uncovered more of its arms depot during the
standing-in formation and the march-past event that lasted for about an hour.
The military parade this year cut the number of on-foot formations by the Army
but added those by other military services-- Navy, Air Force and the SAC.
Regiments formed by special force, servicewomen and
mobile radars, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and airborne early warning and
control (AEWC) aircraft made their debut in the parade this year.
Fifty-two types of new weapon systems manufactured by
China on its own were on display in this year's march-past event. China-made
armaments on display included new main battle tanks, amphibious assault tanks,
tracked infantry fighting vehicles (IFV), self-propelled guns, self-propelled
mortar-howitzers, multiple launch rocket systems, wheeled tank destroyers and
anti-tank missile launch vehicles.
Among the highly watched Chinese armaments were the
five phalanxes formed by 108 missiles, ranging from surface-to-surface
conventional missiles to overland cruise missiles and intercontinental ballistic
missiles.
The air echelons, consisting of 151 aircraft like AEWC aircraft,J-11 fighters, J-10 fighter jets, bombers, aerial tankers, fighter-bombers, helicopters and training planes, flew over the Tian'anmen Square during the parade, up from 132 aircraft in 1999.
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People take part in the celebrations for the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 1, 2009. (Xinhua/Xu Yu)
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Female pilots flying training jets
conclude air display
BEIJING,
Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese People's Liberation Army's 15 female pilots
ridding 15 training jets K-8 appeared as the final formation of an air display
at the end of a grand military parade in Beijing Thursday morning.
With music of a popular military song to express pilots'
enthusiasm for the nation's blue sky echoing around Tian'anmen Square, five
training jets flew over hundreds of thousands of spectators, leaving red, yellow
and blue smoke trails behind to conclude the air show that lasts for nearly ten
minutes. Full story
China National Day parade crescendoed
when nuclear weapon appears
BEIJING, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- China's National Day military
parade culminated in the final staging of giant nuclear-capable intercontinental
ballistic missiles Thursday.
The camouflage nuclear missiles, riding on 18 launch
vehicles, rumbled past Tian'anmen Square and were reviewed by Chinese leaders
and foreign guests. Full story
China's first early warning aircraft
hints strategic leap in air defense
BEIJING, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- The organizer of China's
National Day parade showed the most important hardware progress the country's
Air Force made in the past decade as the long-range Kongjing-2000 and two other
smaller Kongjing-200 aircraft led air formations.
The Kongjing-2000 is China's first generation of military
airborne early warning and control (AEWC) system developed with its own
technology. The plane was deployed around 2004 after decades of trade embargo by
Western countries and unsuccessful acquisition of Russia-made equivalent. Full story
China new missile weapon to curb war
threat
BEIJING, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- A new type of surface-to-surface intermediate and
long-range missiles rumbled past the Tian'anmen Rostrum Thursday morning.
This type of missiles of DF series can be armed with either nuclear or
conventional warheads, military experts say. Full story
Indigenous J-10 fighters become Air Force's
backbones
BEIJING, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- Although China's indigenous
J-10 multirole fighter was officially unveiled in 2006, it still deserved a new
aircraft at the National Day parade.
As a third-generation fighter in the world, the
single-seated J-10 reserves many independent intellectual property rights for
its Chinese developers and manufacturers especially for its high-agility
aerodynamic layout with its delta wings and a pair of canards. Full story
China's cruise missiles "sharp swords"
for precision attacks
BEIJING, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- China's land-based cruise
missiles debuted at a National Day parade Thursday morning, marking the 60th
anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.
The missiles, painted in camouflage, were one of the most
advanced domestically-made weaponry of the People's Liberation Army (PLA). Full story
Nuclear-capable intercontinental
missiles bring climax to China parade
BEIJING, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- China's National Day military
parade culminated in the final staging of giant nuclear-capable intercontinental
ballistic missiles Thursday.
The camouflaged nuclear weapon rode on 18 launch vehicles.
Full story
China displays its most advanced weapons in National Day
parade
BEIJING, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- China on Thursday displayed
some of its most sophisticated weaponry in a grand military review to mark the
60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic.
Fifty-two types of new weapon systems developed and made
in China, including the country's most advanced nuclear-capable missiles, were
displayed. Ninety percent of the weapons were exposed to paraded for the first
time. Full story
China's conventional missiles aimed at winning information
warfare
BEIJING, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- China's first missile brigade,
carrying the country's surface-to-surface conventional missiles, rumbled past
Tian'anmen Rostrum Thursday.
The homegrown missiles were carried by 18 mobile
launchers, in a specially-designed formation. Full story
Special
Report: 60th Anniversary of Founding of PRC
