China’s massive military parade through central Beijing on Wednesday showed off scores of new, cutting-edge weapons, with many specifically designed to keep U.S., Japanese and other allied forces at bay in the event of conflict.
The parade, held to mark 80 years since Japan’s defeat in World War II, provided a glimpse into the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) burgeoning arsenal. The display included its latest anti-ship missiles, such as the YJ (Ying Ji, "Eagle Shot") series of hypersonic weapons that can hit speeds of Mach 5 and above, striking at long-ranges at very high speeds.
In particular, the new and difficult-to-intercept systems displayed — the YJ-15, YJ-17, YJ-19 and YJ-20 — are likely to vex American warplanners, having been built with one goal in mind: to erode U.S. and allied naval superiority in the Pacific.
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