New technologies have helped Chinese armed forces to better prepare for the Sept 3 parade, which will be attended by more than 10,000 military personnel and showcase the latest weaponry.

The Navy installed laser rangefinders on parade vehicles so that they can maintain a set distance from one another, Fan Hui, leading officer of a Navy formation told Xinhua on Aug 23.

“Through a monitor on the deck, a driver can easily learn the location of his vehicle and distance from nearby vehicles,” Fan said.

The Beidou Navigation Satellite System (BDS), an indigenous alternative to US-operated GPS, was also applied to improve precision and timing of the training.

Maj. Gen. Wang Shun, deputy chief of staff of Beijing Military Area Command and parade command deputy director, said Beidou’s automatic timing system was used in the training of all units and helped them meet the standards more easily and in a shorter time.

The headquarters also used Beidou to create digital simulation of the parade and streamline the design and arrangement, he said.

Fast speed digital cameras were used on foot formations to monitor the performance of each soldier.

“With these photos, we can easily see who kicks his leg too low and who raises his head too high. We can spot the weakness and correct them as early as possible,” said Liu Shixu, chief coach of all foot formations.

The tanks that will parade on Sept 3 are equipped with a new digital imaging system, an integration of camera, rangefinder, monitoring and processing systems.

Currently the system can monitor four tanks together in real time and help the driver adjust in a timely manner, said Ding Hui, one of the tank drivers in the armament formations.

The parade will mark the 70th anniversary of the end of the World War II and the victory of China’s resistance against Japanese invasion.

A total of 12,000 troops, 500 pieces of equipment, and nearly 200 aircraft will be shown.