Panoramic Display of Strong Military Achievements in the August 1st Promotional Video

【Global Times Report by Reporter Guo Yuandan】Editor's Note: On the occasion of the 99th anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army, the Political Work Department of the Central Military Commission and other departments have launched a thought interpretation multimedia piece titled "Winning," which continues to be popular. As of August 2, this piece focuses on the development of the Army, Navy, and other military branches, revealing a large number of real training footage. Among them, the scenes of the Army's "Machine Wolf" equipped with a man-portable rocket launcher participating in beach landing operations have gone viral online; the Navy's Sichuan ship releasing new types of decoy flares and other significant footage have also been showcased. Several military experts interviewed by the Global Times stated that after undergoing reforms and restructuring, the PLA's combat capabilities and winning abilities continue to improve. The series of training footage disclosed in the film intuitively demonstrates the comprehensive development and significant progress of the people's army.

"Land of Transformation": "Machine Wolf with Rocket Launcher" Goes Viral

The first episode of "Winning," titled "The Direction of the Battle Flag," showcases the heroic deeds of the PLA's Army, Navy, Air Force, and Rocket Force through stunning visuals, including the Army's certain brigade "Dadu River Company" overcoming a new task of cross-sea beach landing; Navy test pilots challenging multiple test flight difficulties during the airborne early warning aircraft KJ-600 test flight; Rocket Force engineers working year-round in the Gobi Desert to build underground positions; Air Force pilots engaging in a battle of wits and courage with foreign military aircraft...

In the second episode of "Winning," titled "Land of Transformation," the most widely discussed scene among netizens is the footage of the Machine Wolf carrying a man-portable rocket launcher participating in beach landing operations. Unlike the common four-legged robotic dogs, the Machine Wolf is equipped with a man-portable rocket launcher and advances to assault alongside the landing forces towards the beachhead. This footage intuitively shows that unmanned combat units are directly responsible for frontline fire strike missions, indicating that unmanned equipment is no longer merely performing auxiliary tasks but can now directly participate in assault operations.

Military expert Zhang Xuefeng stated in an interview with the Global Times on the 2nd: "The footage demonstrates that the PLA's Machine Wolf combat platform has made new progress. Previously, the Machine Wolf mainly carried firearms; the new version can carry rocket launchers, significantly enhancing its firepower level, while also enabling more efficient coordinated actions with combat personnel. This is not only a breakthrough in equipment technology but also an upgrade in tactical application, relying on close human-machine collaboration to complete diverse battlefield tasks."

Zhang Xuefeng analyzed that the actual development level of the Machine Wolf is likely more advanced than what the footage presents, "One can glimpse the trend by referring to the rapid iteration of humanoid robots in the past two years. Compared to humanoid robots, the four-legged Machine Wolf has stronger stability in movement, possesses unique practical advantages, and may be deployed on the battlefield sooner, undertaking key combat tasks in complex scenarios such as urban warfare."

"The emergence of the Machine Wolf showcases the deep integration of intelligent unmanned platforms with combined combat forces, continuously promoting the Army's combat capabilities and winning levels," another military expert commented to the Global Times, stating that "Land of Transformation" demonstrates significant development and breakthroughs in the People's Army's equipment system. This expert also noted the large reconnaissance-strike integrated unmanned aerial vehicle recently equipped by Army Aviation, which can conduct reconnaissance over vast airspace, quickly identify high-value targets, and guide the Army's long-range rocket artillery to carry out fire strikes. "Impressively, the shocking footage of the long-range box-type rocket artillery 'one box, one shell': a single launcher vehicle equipped with two launch boxes, each carrying a large ammunition shell, extends the Army's long-range fire strike range to hundreds of kilometers, with the capability for beyond-visual-range, long-distance precise fire coverage, capable of paralyzing the enemy's combat system and effectively supporting assault and amphibious combat forces."

Meanwhile, the combat capabilities of the Army's combined forces, especially the amphibious combined brigades, have achieved an all-around leap. The troops are not only equipped with advanced amphibious infantry fighting vehicles and amphibious assault vehicles, but their combat forces have also deeply integrated with unmanned combat systems. Amphibious assault units can carry small drones to conduct precise strikes on enemy fortifications and can deploy Machine Wolves to accompany infantry actions.

"Advancing into the Deep Blue": Sichuan Ship Closer to Commissioning

The third episode of "Winning," titled "Advancing into the Deep Blue," is a panoramic depiction of the People's Navy's journey into the deep sea and its grand maritime strategy. The film describes a three-dimensional maritime combat system centered around warships, submarines, and carrier-based aircraft, showcasing the Navy's transition from near-sea defense to far-sea victory.

Of particular interest to the outside world is that this film publicly reveals the electromagnetic catapult test footage of the first ship of the 076 amphibious assault ship class, the Sichuan ship. "The electromagnetic catapult test was successfully completed, proving that the ship's electromagnetic catapult capability has reached the preset indicators, accumulating key empirical data for subsequent launches of manned carrier-based fighter jets and medium-to-large fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles, marking that the Sichuan ship has entered the sprint stage of pre-commissioning tests, getting closer to official commissioning," military expert Zhang Junsha told the Global Times on the 2nd. These on-site images directly indicate that China's electromagnetic catapult system has undergone multiple rounds of verification, and the relevant core technologies have fully matured, successfully achieving technology transfer from aircraft carrier platforms to amphibious assault ships.

Zhang Junsha stated that this episode of the documentary clearly demonstrates the Sichuan ship's core positioning for unmanned operations in the deep sea. This is the world's first amphibious assault ship equipped with an electromagnetic catapult system, which is transforming the platform's functions, stepping out of the traditional helicopter carrier framework, and evolving towards a specialized unmanned aerial vehicle carrier. "In the future, this ship can carry large unmanned combat aircraft, and when necessary, be paired with the J-35 fifth-generation carrier-based fighter jet, forming combat capabilities comparable to light aircraft carriers, establishing a new combat capability that integrates intelligent, manned, and unmanned collaboration."

At the same time, this episode also showcases real footage of the Fujian ship after its commissioning, combined with the deeds of carrier-based aircraft pilot Wang Zhongyuan, demonstrating the carrier-based aircraft's long-range confrontation missions. Military experts interviewed by the Global Times analyzed that from "Advancing into the Deep Blue," it can be observed that the Fujian ship's comprehensive combat capabilities have achieved multi-dimensional and all-around quality improvements. "Currently, China's aircraft carrier combat system is becoming increasingly mature and complete, and the carrier-based aircraft units can quickly respond to various maritime emergencies, efficiently handle sudden aerial and maritime situations. In the face of aerial provocation targets, the J-15 carrier-based fighter jet's dual-aircraft formation can respond calmly and flexibly, safely driving away incoming targets, which not only demonstrates the excellent performance of domestically produced carrier-based equipment but also fully verifies the superb tactical and technical level and strong psychological quality of carrier-based aircraft pilots."

Military expert Zhang Xuefeng also noted that the 055-class 10,000-ton destroyer Zunyi has conducted joint training exercises in the Western Pacific, directly facing dual threats from surface targets and underwater submarines, innovating combat methods to complete rapid strikes at sea during nighttime while continuously tracking underwater targets. "Nighttime launches are more aligned with real combat environments, indicating that we possess all-weather strike capabilities. Enemy personnel are generally less vigilant at night, making strikes more likely to achieve surprise effects and accomplish unexpected combat objectives."

Zhang Xuefeng further stated, "From a technical perspective, the performance gap of missiles launched day and night is not significant. Such missiles generally carry radar or infrared guidance heads, and the day-night environment does not impose obvious restrictions on the terminal guidance of the missiles, but nighttime conditions increase the difficulty of target search and lock-on, reducing the effectiveness of optical reconnaissance means, and relying more on radar satellites, drones, and other platforms for target detection, which raises higher demands on the supporting capabilities of the entire combat system."

Zhang Junsha said: "The world's first conventionally powered electromagnetic catapult aircraft carrier Fujian ship and the world's first electromagnetic catapult amphibious assault ship Sichuan ship, when paired with the J-35 stealth carrier-based fighter and large carrier-based unmanned combat platforms, form a new equipment system that promotes a qualitative leap in the People's Navy's deep-sea maritime combat capabilities."

Transformation and Upgrade of Aerospace Combat Capabilities

According to the currently exposed trailers, the next episode of "Winning" will focus on the People's Air Force, narrating around the construction goals of an integrated aerospace system with both offensive and defensive capabilities, providing a panoramic view of the Air Force's transformation journey in forging aerospace combat capabilities in the new era.

The film features a large number of real footage of J-20 stealth fighter formations cruising, Y-20 large transport aircraft conducting long-range delivery, aerial refueling, early warning aircraft conducting all-domain reconnaissance, large and medium-sized unmanned aerial vehicle operations, and live-fire drills of air defense and missile defense systems. The footage covers frontline scenes such as radar station duty in high-altitude areas, frontline pilots' real combat confrontation exercises, and intelligent strike system installation tests, recording the real tasks of the People's Air Force personnel in handling aerial emergencies and conducting vigilance and deterrence against foreign aircraft in complex airspace environments.

"The film showcases various advanced combat equipment of the People's Air Force, including intelligent command and target designation systems. The People's Air Force not only possesses J-20 stealth fighters but also has diversified and efficient fire strike means, utilizing advanced intelligent command systems to quickly confirm high-value targets on the battlefield, which are then precisely struck by fighter jets using various precision-guided munitions," a military expert interviewed by the Global Times stated. "The People's Air Force not only flies higher and farther, but its high-tech fire strike means are also more refined. Through 'Winning,' viewers gain a more comprehensive and intuitive understanding of the development and growth of the People's Army, which can be said to be a panoramic display of the achievements of a strong military."

Zhang Junsha told the Global Times: "'Winning' fully reveals the continuous iteration and upgrading of the PLA's main battle equipment across the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Rocket Force, steadily enhancing comprehensive combat capabilities, and further strengthening the joint combat and system combat levels of the entire military. At the same time, the film intuitively demonstrates the firm determination and solid strength of the Army, Navy, and Air Force to defend national sovereignty, security, and development interests."