China flaunts nuclear missiles 200-times more powerful than atomic bombs dropped on Japan: Key details

A DF-5C intercontinental ballistic missile is seen during a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of victory over Japan and the end of World War II, in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square on September 3, 2025. (AFP)

Hypersonic missiles, laser weapons, and underwater drones dazzled at the iconic Tiananmen Square as China displayed its military might in a highly choreographed parade on Wednesday.

President Xi Jinping, flanked by Russia’s Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, roared – “China is unstoppable.”

Among the array of weapons, what has caught everyone’s attention is the F-5C liquid-fueled intercontinental strategic nuclear missile – which Beijing claims has “the entire globe under its strike range.” The missile, which is 200 times more powerful than the atomic bomb dropped on Japanese cities during World War II, has a shorter launch time.

Global Times, the state-run Chinese daily, quoted a military expert saying that six distinct features of this liquid-fueled intercontinental strategic missile with a strike range of 20,000 km make it unparalleled in its class.

Professor Yang Chengjun explained that the entire missile can be transported in three vehicles divided into three parts. This will make the transportation of the missile system easier and reduce the launch time in case such a situation arises. Yang further said that the 20,000 km strike range means that China can actively counter any nuclear threat from any part of the world. Based on the DF series, the variety with which the missile can be launched adds yet another feature.

The fifth characteristic of the missile is that it has been developed to carry multiple MIRVs, or multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs). These MIRVs can be equipped either with conventional or nuclear payloads.

And finally, the stunning precision of the missile makes it extremely lethal. The missile uses a guided precision system that combines homegrown starlight guidance system technologies with an inertial guidance system.

“The security situation China is facing is still complex and severe. This parade also shows that our country’s military means to deal with external threats are constantly developing and enriching,” Yang was quoted as saying by Global Times.