Sky's no limit

J-20A heavy-duty stealth fighter jet

Wang Yanan, chief editor of Aerospace Knowledge magazine, told China Daily that it was the first time in the history of the People's Republic of China that so much new hardware had been used in a parade.

"What we have seen is an unprecedented unveiling of China's domestically developed weaponry, such as those new aircraft. All of these previously unseen weapons have state-of-the-art designs and superior capabilities, and have tremendously enhanced the Chinese armed forces' overall strength," Wang said.

"Specifically, the appearance of the J-20 and J-35 families on a considerable scale means that the Air Force and Navy are in the middle of a systemic transformation that highlights the core role of fifth-generation types, namely these stealth jets," he said, adding that the PLA is likely to be ahead of other militaries around the globe in terms of establishing a comprehensive fifth-generation air combat system.

According to a statement published before the V-Day parade by a temporary command in charge of the event's aircraft squadrons, the new military planes "have been deployed to handle high-intensity warfare", while their appearance was meant to "reflect the PLA's strength to deter adversaries and safeguard China's airspace".