Sunday, September 05, 2010 Register Here  Login
 Welcome Guest
HOME    |    ABOUT US    |    ABOUT THE EDITORS    |    ARCHIVES    |     BLOGS    |    EDITORIAL CALENDAR 2009    |    ADVERTISE WITH US    |  CONTACT
November 2009 Issue
• Current Print Edition
• Cover Story
• Interview
• Feature/Report
• Industry
• From Jammu & Kashmir
• Opinions
• Editor’s Note
• Force In
• About Force
• Online Subscriptions
• Print Subscriptions

IN THIS SECTION
The Threat Without
The Threat Within
Mighty Spectacle
Fool-Proof Security
 Grand Offensive
Quick fixers
 Full Steam Ahead
Checks and Balances
Soldiers’ Pack
Fighting Our Own
Yesterday Once More
Historical Rights
‘We Are in Talks with
Mighty Spectacle
China’s National Day parade featured undisclosed technologies
By Prasun K. Sengupta
On October 1, as the People’s Republic of China (PRC) celebrated the 60th anniversary of communist rule, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) showed off its conventional and non-conventional military might. The National Day parade featured previously undisclosed technologies incorporated in the 108 missiles on display, according to Yu Jixun, Deputy Commander of the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) 2nd Artillery Corps and Vice Commander-in-Chief of the joint headquarters for the military parade. The 108 missiles formed five groups that rumbled past the rostrum at Tian’anmen Square for a review. It was the 2nd Artillery Corps’ third appearance in a national military parade since its debut at a National Day parade in 1984. Yu said that cadets of the 2nd Artillery Corps studying in the Wuhan-based 2nd Artillery Corps Command College, the Xi’an-based 2nd Artillery Engineering College and a Sergeant’s School in Shandong Province also marched goose-step through Tian’anmen Square. A total of 46 helicopters provided by the PLA’s Army Aviation Corps, Naval Aviation and PLA Air Force took part in the flypast. The PLA Navy’s 10 Z-8 search-and-rescue helicopters in two arrow formations appeared for the second time this year, as they were displayed in the international fleet review held in the waters off Qingdao on April 23 to celebrate the 60th founding anniversary of the PLA Navy. The following 18 Z-11 recce gunships and another 18 Z-9G attack gunships were from the Army Aviation Corps. But a now-show this time was the ZW-10 heavy attack helicopter.

Other weapon systems showcased for the first time during the parade included the ZTZ-99 main battle tank (MBT), ZTZ-96G MBT, the army’s ZTS-04 tracked amphibious armoured infantry fighting vehicle (AIFV), tracked ZBD-97 AIFV, the PLA Marines’ ZTS-04 amphibious AIFV, the army’s ZBL-09/VN-1 8x8 wheeled AIFV, the PLA Air Force’s (PLAAF) ZDB-03 airborne tracked AIFV,ZSL-92 anti-riot wheeled APC of the paramilitary People’s Armed Police, the Army’s PLZ-05 155mm/45-calibre tracked self-propelled howitzer, SH-2 122mm motorised howitzer, PLL-05 120mm self-propelled gun-mortar, PTL-02 100mm towed howitzer, PHL-03 300mm multi-barrel rocket launcher (MBRL), HJ-9 anti-armour guided-missile, PGZ-95 tracked self-propelled AAA, mobile HQ-7 SHORADS, YJ-91 and YJ-83 shipborne anti-ship cruise missiles, YJ-62 (C-602) anti-ship cruise missile, HQ-9 LR-SAM, HQ-12 (KS-1A) MR-SAM, HQ-16 E-SHORADS, ASN-207 tactical UAV, DongFeng 11 (DF-11/M-11/CSS-7) road-mobile short-range ballistic missile (SRBM), DongFeng 15 (DF-15/ M-9/CSS-6) tactical ballistic missile, ChangJian CJ-10 land-attack cruise missile, DongFeng 21C MRBM, and the DF-31A ICBM.

The PLAAF’s overhead flypast included the J-10A/B M-MRCA, B-6D aerial refuelling tanker, Su-30MK2s, KJ-2000 strategic AEW & C platform, and the KJ-200 twin-turboprop tactical AEW & C platform. However, the much hyped-about DongFeng-41 (DF-41/CSS-X-10 three-stage, solid-propellant, intercontinental-range ballistic missile, developed in the as a successor to the DF-5 (CSS-4) ICBM, failed to make a show. The 12,000km-range DF-41 was developed in parallel with the 8,000km-range DF-31 and consequently, like the DF-31, the DF-41 also is mounted atop a land-mobile transporter-erector-launcher. The DF-41 also features independently-targeted re-entry vehicle (MIRV) capability and penetration aids such as decoys and flares to confuse hostile ballistic missile defences. However, no test-firings of the DF-41 have taken place to date.
The various contingents taking part in the parade included the following:
1. The army’s Cadets Group Army (from Shijiazhuang Mechanised Infantry Academy)
2. Naval Academic Group (from Dalian Naval Academy)
3. Seamen Group (from Qingdao Naval Submarine Academy)
4. Marine Corps Group (from the 1st Marine Brigade of the PLA Navy’s South Sea Fleet)
5. Air Force Cadets Group (from Air Force Aviation University and another 210 aviation regiments of PLA Air force)
6. Airborne Troop Group (from the 15th Airborne Army)
7. 2nd Artillery Corps (from the 2nd Artillery Corps’ Engineering Academy)
8. Armed Police Group (from the Beijing Armed Police Corps)
9. Reserve Force Group (from the Beijing Garrison’s Reserve AAA Division)
10. Minutewoman Group (from the Chaoyang District, Beijing City)
11. ZTZ-99G Heavy MBT Group (18 vehicles from the 334th Regiment of the 112nd Division of the 38th Group Army)
13. ZTD-05 tracked amphibious assault vehicles (18 vehicles from the 1st Division of the 1st Group Army)
14. ZBD-04 tracked infantry combat vehicle (18 vehicles from the 163rd Division of the 42nd Group Army)
15. ZBD-05 tracked amphibious infantry combat vehicle (18 vehicles from the PLA Navy’s 1st Marine Corps Brigade)
16. ZBD-03 tracked airborne combat vehicle (18 vehicles from the 134th Regiment of the 45th Division of the 15th Airborne Army)
17. WJ-03B wheeled armed vehicle (from ‘Snow Leopard’ Special Forces Team of the People’s Armed Police)
18. PLZ-05 155mm/45-cal tracked self-propelled howitzer (from the Artillery Brigade of the 38th Group Army)
19. PLZ-07 122mm tracked self-propelled howitzer (from the 338th Regiment of 113rd Division of the 38th Group Army)
20. PLL-05 120mm wheeled self-propelled mortar (from the 379th Regiment and 380th Regiment of the 127nd Division of the 54th Group Army)
21. PTL-02 100mm wheeled self-propelled howitzer (from the Artillery Regiment of 162nd Division under the 54th Group Army)
22. PHL-03 300mm long-range MLRS (from the 9th Artillery Division of the 1st Group Army)
23. AFT-9/HJ-9 anti-tank guided-missile launcher vehicle (from the Artillery Brigade of the 12th Group Army)
24. PGZ-04A 25mm tracked self-propelled SPAAG (from the armoured regiment of the 127nd Division under the 54th Group Army)
25. HQ-7B SHORADS (from the 86th Division and 91st Division of the 31st Group Army)
26. HQ-9 and HQ-16 shipborne anti-aircraft missiles (vehicle-mounted missiles operated by soldiers from the 4th AAA Regiment of Zhoushan Naval Base, East Sea Fleet)
27. YJ-83 anti-ship cruise missiles (vehicle-mounted missiles operated by soldiers from Lvshun Naval Base of the North Sea Fleet)
28. YJ-62A shore-based anti-ship cruise missiles (from the 1st shore-based Anti-ship Missile Regiment of Fujian Naval Base, East Sea Fleet)
29. HQ-9 LR-SAM (from the 4th Anti-Air Division and 17th Anti-Air Brigade of the PLA Air Force)
30. HQ-12A/KS-1A M-SAMs (from the PLAAF’s 6th Anti-Air Division)
31. Mobile Radar Vehicles with JY-11B and YLC-2A radars (from PLAAF’s nine radar regiments)
32. SATCOM and Backscatter communication vehicles (from the PLA’s General Staff Department)
33. Reconnaissance UAVs (from Long-range UAV Reconnaissance Commanding Station under the General Staff Department)
34. Logistics Equipment Group (from the 6th Armoured Division of the 38th Group Army)
35. DF-15A conventional ballistic missiles (from the 825th Brigade of the 2nd Artillery Corps)
36. DF-11A conventional ballistic missiles (from the 818th Brigade of the 2nd Artillery Corps)
37. CJ-10 land attack cruise missiles (from the 821st Brigade of the 2nd Artillery Corps)
38. DF-21C medium-range conventional/nuclear cruise missiles (from the 822nd Brigade of the 2nd Artillery Corps)
39. DF-31A ICBM (from the 2nd Artillery Corps’ 812nd Brigade)
  [Full Story]

 

 
Home | About Force | About the Editors | Archives | Blogs | Editorial Calendar 2009 | Advertise with Us | Cover Story
Interview | Feature/Report | Industry | From Jammu & Kashmir | Opinions | Force In | Editor’s Note | Online Subscriptions | Print Subscriptions | Contact
© FORCE ARROWHEADMEDIA PVT. LTD. All Rights Reserved.                                                                               Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Terms Conditions