Military aircraft perform during the military parade marking the 70th anniversary of the end of World War Two, in Beijing,Sept 3, 2015. [Photo/Xinhua]

A PARADE FOR FUTURE

The ground armament formations of the 70-minute parade include modules for ground combat, air defense and missile defense, maritime attacks, strategic strikes, communication support, and logistics and armament support.

This was the first time that the PLA arranged its armament based on their actual combat roles in a parade, said Peng Guangqian, deputy secretary-general of the Council for National Security Policy Studies.

"This indicates a change of the PLA training strategy, with more focus on actual combat," Peng said.

The parade included a host of China's home-made conventional and nuclear weaponry, which bespoke the PLA's long march from an army mainly composed of infantry to informationized military. Eighty-four percent of the 500 pieces of armament rolled out on Thursday had never been shown to the public before.

On display were China's Dongfeng-5B intercontinental strategic missiles designed to carry nuclear warheads, and the Dongfeng-21D anti-ship ballistic missiles described by some media as the "carrier killer."

Other cutting edge weaponry included the PLA's state-of-the-art tanks, unmanned aerial vehicles, and its new generation of airborne early warning and control aircraft, carrier-based fighters and attack helicopters which streaked low across the skies.

Among the armaments that were paraded in public for the first time were China's HJ-10 anti-tank missiles, HQ-12 anti-aircraft missiles and the third-generation carrier-based medium-long range air defense missiles.

Also in spotlight are China's shore-based anti-ship missiles which are capable of destroying large targets.

Experts believe that the high-profile weaponry display reflects the latest modernization of the Chinese armed forces, which was a result of the country's economic and technological progress.

The gleaming hardware rolling through posed a sharp contrast to China's poor weaponry in the wartime seven decades ago.

"In the fierce battle, the Japanese had rifles, tanks and fighter planes," veteran Hu Lidong said. "Our men were mowed down."