The Chinese army's "trump card" missiles, including the giant nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missiles, brought Thursday's National Day parade to a climax.

A total of 108 missiles of five types, from China' s strategic missile force, were highlighted in the military parade marking the60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China(PRC).

These gigantic, cutting-edge weapons, riding long-bed mobile launchers, 18 for each type, rumbled past the Tian'anmen Rostrum in an 8,000-soldier and weapon parade.

In a parade celebrating the PRC's founding six decades ago, there was only military horses and armament seized from enemies during the War of Liberation (1945-1949) and the War of Resistance Against Japan (1937-1945), such as Japanese tanks and armored cars.

But horses were replaced by missiles in later parades and the "multinational arsenal" was changed to "made-in-China" weaponry.

Senior Colonel Wang Liping of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Second Artillery Force said three models of missiles that were displayed at the parade were new types of the DF series, including conventional missiles, cruise missiles and nuclear-capable intercontinental missiles.

"Compared with missiles in the military parade 10 years ago, missiles this time are more advanced and show the latest development of the Second Artillery," Wang said.

The new-type surface-to-surface intermediate and long-range missiles can be armed with either nuclear or conventional warheads, according to the Second Artillery.

Experts say the missiles "shoulder a divine mission of curbing the threat of war and safeguarding state sovereignty".

Also on rare public display were Second Artillery's two types of conventional missiles.

Yu Jixun, Deputy Commander of the PLA Second Artillery Force, said the conventional missiles could launch precision strikes in all weathers and directions.

One of the PLA's most advanced domestically-made weapons, the camouflaged land-based cruise missiles, also made a debut at the once-in-a-decade military parade.

Experts say the missiles were new members of the army that had grown up "embracing the challenges of the new military reform".

Lieutenant Colonel Gou Yi, head of the missile formation at the parade, said the missiles marked a breakthrough in the striking manner and combat power of the troop".

Deputy Commander Yu said the land-based cruise missile boasted a long-range and low-altitude flight, precision targeting, and quick emergency response from concealed places.

Gou said the cruise missiles were "sharp swords" for intermediate and long-range precision attacks "against enemies".

Since the cruise missiles were delivered to the Second Artillery in 2006, Gou's brigade had conducted 11 live firing trials and all 34 missiles fired had hit the targets, he said.

Besides the missiles, a total of 352 cadets of the PLA Second Artillery Force goose-stepped through Tian'anmen Square, for the first time in a National military parade.

They wore dark green camouflages for use in mountainous areas. One of them, Wang Puze, a soldier who prepared for the parade for at least five months, said he wore out three pairs of boots and two sets of training clothes.

More than 78 percent of the Second Artillery officers hold at least university degrees, PLA statistics show.

(Xinhua News Agency October 1, 2009)