Times of India
Saibal Dasgupta,TNN
Sep 3, 2015,
BEIJING: China on Thursday tried to stun the world’s military establishment by displaying missiles that travel 10 times faster than the speed of sound, and the firepower that is loaded on its aircraft carrier. Chinese authorities displayed a range of sophisticated killing machines at a military parade in Beijing on Thursday.
Military experts said that the missile formations on display, which have not been seen before, established China’s capability to hit a variety of targets on land, air and water. The missiles are capable of hitting US air bases in Okinawa in Japan and in Guam besides targeting countries in China’s neighborhood, they said.
“China has demonstrated new models and innovation in each field — short, medium and long range missiles,” Michael Raska, research fellow at the Institute of Defense and Strategic Studies in Singapore, told TNN.
The parade confirms China’s equipment modernization program is going apace, and it will continue on this path, he said. “I think the DF21D mid range ballistic missile is most significant. It is an aircraft killer, which can target American carriers in Pacific. So is the DF26. It is a road mobile killer which can target Guam,” he said.
The land-based DF-21D intermediate-range missile is believed to be equipped with onboard terminal guidance systems making it capable of hitting moving targets, observers said.
Another machine on display, the DF16 intercontinental ballistic missile, can target the US base in Okinawa in Japan, Raska said.
Though China has only one aircraft carrier, it has displayed a range of missiles that are potentially disruptive and unprecedented in their fire power, some of which can match that of the United States, they said.
The new missiles, particularly DF21D, are going to force a rethink among countries who plan to deploy aircraft carriers against China, observers said.
Some observers see the weapons displayed at the parade as a sign that China will use them to enhance its political influence in the world, and make sure it is heard even by NATO member countries. Analysts say there is little possibility of the weapons being used in a war but they are potent symbols of power that will enhance Beijing’s political prestige.
The firepower display at a parade filled with anti-Japan sentiments and rhetoric was also meant to warn Japan, its bitter rival, against moves to go for militarization at a large scale. Japan’s Shinzo Abe has announced plans to amend the pacifist constitution, and go for large scale militarization.
