BEIJING, Sept. 2 (UPI) -- China will publicly display its new nuclear intercontinental ballistic missile for the first time at its National Day military parade, a missile expert said.
The Oct. 1 parade also will feature several advanced air and sea weapons and other domestically-designed missiles, including conventional cruise and medium-range and short-range conventional ones, the Global Times reported, quoting the expert and other sources. The expert was identified as closely following the parade preparations of the People's Liberation Army.
"These missiles are domestically designed and manufactured and have never been officially reported before," he said, adding they belong to a second generation and are ready for operation.
While the United States and Russia already have fifth-generation missiles and are developing sixth-generation missiles, the expert claimed, "Our second generation can match their third and fourth generations, and the third generation under development is comparable to their fifth and sixth generations."
The expert said the achievements of the military's Second Artillery Force in the past decade will be highlighted Oct. 1. It is the core force of China's strategic deterrence.
Citing a white paper on China's national defense issued this year, which said one of the responsibilities of the Second Artillery Force is to conduct nuclear counterattacks, the expert said: "The statement indicates that the force can survive a nuclear attack before carrying out a counterattack. Any country that attempts to attack China with nuclear weapons must get ready for revenge, even if it has an anti-missile system."
Military expert Li Daguang at the PLA University of National Defense said the parade is only meant to promote national pride and awareness of national defense, the report said.
