People’s Republic of China is going to celebrate 80th anniversary of the victory in the War against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. A Military Parade showing China’s might is also included in series of events. The event just soon after SCO Summit 2025 in Tianjin likely to be attended. by many heads of states including Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Fighter jets will roar over Beijing and tanks will rumble past Tiananmen Square on Wednesday when Chinese President for Life, Xi Jinping, presides over an elaborate military parade designed to stoke national pride and show off China’s diplomatic heft.
Shailesh Kumar, National Defence
New Delhi, 02 September 2025
Besides military might, more than two dozen leaders, mostly authoritarian, are expected to attend. Joining President. Xi are President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, the North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un and President Masoud Pezeshkian of Iran — the first time that the leaders of the four countries will gather in the same plac
However all eyes are set on the kind of equipment China is going to showcase in its military parade to project itself as a world leader as it shown diplomatically through SCO Summit.
Today the most fearsome weapon is considered a sixth generation fighter jet. In December 2024, China publicly revealed two prototype sixth-generation fighter jets—J-36 and a counterpart from Shenyang Aircraft Corporation (J-50 or J-XDS)—during test flights. These fighter jets are still in developmental testing, and while they signal strong R&D progress, there is no indication they are parade-ready.
Earlier, a conceptual mock-up named “White Emperor” was displayed at an aviation expo—but this was only as a concept model
Chinese officials have not affirmed showcasing a 6th-gen fighter. Instead, China likely to showcase J-20 and J-35 and it would be beyond surprise that China debuts the H-20 bomber.
The Chengdu J-20, nicknamed “Mighty Dragon”, is China’s first operational fifth-generation stealth fighter jet and a symbol of Beijing’s rise as a major aerospace power. Developed by the Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group (CAIG) under AVIC, the J-20 was designed to compete with U.S. fighters like the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II.
The Shenyang J-35, also known by its export name FC-31 Gyrfalcon, is China’s second fifth-generation stealth fighter after the Chengdu J-20. Unlike the heavy J-20 designed for long-range air dominance, the J-35 is a medium-weight, multirole stealth fighter, optimized for both air force and naval carrier-based operations.
The J-35 stealth fighter has never appeared in a parade before, but it is also likely to be included.
According to local media reports, the parade will display “new-type fourth-generation armaments” such as tanks, carrier-based aircraft, and fighter jets.
The biggest showcase will likely be China’s hypersonic missiles, combat drones, autonomous tanks, and electronic warfare gear.
China’s Main Hypersonic Glide Vehicle. DF-ZF (also known as WU-14) developed by China Academy of Aerospace Aerodynamics (under CASIC). First tests was done in 2014 (first confirmed hypersonic glide flight). This was operational, carried by the DF-17 and DF-27 missiles.
Launched on a ballistic missile (DF-17 or DF-27). Separates at high altitude (~40–100 km).
Glides through the atmosphere at Mach 5–10. Can maneuver laterally and alter altitude, making tracking difficult. Delivers either a conventional or nuclear payload with high accuracy. Key Platforms Using DF-ZF DF-17 (Medium-range ballistic missile). Range: ~1,800–2,500 km. Operational since 2019.
China likely to showcase DF-17 (Medium-range ballistic missile) with a Range: of 1,800–2,500 km. The DF-17 is Operational since 2019.
DF- 26 “Guam killer” IRBM: An intermediate-range ballistic missile capable of reaching U.S. installations like Guam. Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) & Strategic Launchers. DF-31AG: A mobile ICBM with ~11,000 km range.
Beside, the main HGV carrier in PLA Rocket Force. DF-27 (Intermediate-range ballistic missile) with a range of 5,000–8,000 km. Tested with HGV in 2023, believed capable of reaching Guam and Pacific targets. DF-41 ICBM (Possible future integration) with a range of ~15,000 km. Analysts believe it could eventually carry HGVs for global strike capability.
DF-41: China’s most powerful ICBM, with up to 15,000 km range and MIRV capability.
YJ-series anti-ship missiles (YJ-15, YJ-17, YJ-19, YJ-20): These “Eagle Attack” missiles, some of which are hypersonic, are designed for rapid strikes on naval targets.
Submarine-launched JL-3 missiles: Strategic SLBM systems. Drones, Autonomous Systems & Directed-Energy Weapons. FH-97 stealth combat drone: The first declared combat-ready stealth drone. Directed-energy weapons and electronic warfare systems: Including lasers, jamming tools, and potentially anti-satellite or anti-missile systems.
Underwater Drones & Anti-Missile Defenses. Extra-large unmanned underwater vehicles (XLUUVs): Large torpedo-shaped drone submarines spotted during rehearsals.
Anti-missile / satellite-hunter systems: The HQ-29 system, potentially capable of intercepting satellites/missiles in low Earth orbit, was seen mounted on mobile launchers.
Early-Warning & Carrier-Based Systems. KJ-600 early-warning aircraft: Carrier-based, high-altitude surveillance planes. Advanced electronic warfare/tools integrated with command, control, and battlefield networks.
Security has been tightened across Beijing in preparation for the parade. Rehearsals have involved more than 40,000 soldiers, civilians and staff. The parade route will proceed along Chang’an Avenue, a central thoroughfare that passes Tiananmen Square and the entrance to the Forbidden City.
Other guests who are expected to attend include Min Aung Hlaing, the chief of Myanmar’s junta and President Denis Sassou Nguesso of the Republic of Congo, leaders who hail from countries with abysmal human rights records. Only seven of the 25 countries whose leaders are attending are considered free or partly-free by Freedom House, a Washington-based advocacy group.
There is one notable outlier, Prime Minister Robert Fico of Slovakia, a NATO member state considered one of the freest countries in Central Europe. Fico, a longtime critic of Western support for Ukraine, has worked hard to forge better diplomatic and economic ties with Beijing.
Still, the convergence of so many decidedly undemocratic leaders “underscores China’s pull with autocrats as the world’s leading authoritarian power.
Leaders from 11 of the 14 countries bordering China were represented, including Mongolia, Laos and Nepal, offering “a vivid demonstration that China is already a regional superpower.
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