The terrifying super-nuke took centre stage at a huge arms showcase held in Tiananmen Square, Beijing, to mark 70 years of Communist rule.

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The Dongfeng-41 is a 7,672 mph intercontinental ballistic missile that is said to have the furthest range of any nuclear missile and could reach the US in 30 minutes.

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China’s Communist Party celebrated its 70th anniversary in power with a military parade that showcased the DF-41, alongside the country’s most advanced weapons. Soldiers in helmets and combat gear shouted, “hello, leader!” and “serve the people” as a formation of fighter jets trailing coloured smoke swooped low over the capital.

Speculation was rife as to what weapons would be unveiled, with parade rehearsals showing missiles and aircraft under camouflage wraps.

One of the most closely-watched weapons unveiled on Tuesday was the Dongfeng-17, a nuclear-capable glider that foreign analysts say is designed to manoeuvre at high speed to evade anti-missile defences.

The Chinese government is keen to assert its dominance in Asia and particularly in the South China Sea where it has been busy building militarised islands in international waters.

And its clear message to the US is that it is getting closer than ever to matching it in terms of military might. A defence ministry spokesman recently said Beijing had no intention to “flex its muscles” but was instead keen to show a “peace-loving and responsible China”. But, President Xi Jinping warned at the event: “No force can shake the status of our great motherland, and no force can stop the progress of the Chinese people and the Chinese nation.”

The major ceremony was held to mark the day that Mao Zedong pronounced the founding of the People’s Republic of China on October 1, 1949 from the imposing Tiananmen Gate. The high-profile parade included 15,000 troops, more than 160 aircraft and 580 pieces of military equipment, according to Ministry of Defence spokesman Major General Cai Zhijun. A supersonic drone, hypersonic missile and a robot submarine were also shown off.

But all eyes were primed for whether the huge Dongfeng 41 (DF-41) missile would roll through Tiananmen Square in its debut public appearance. Many new weapons “will be shown for the first time,” Cai told reporters last week. Asked whether that would include the DF-41, Cai said, “Please wait and see.”

No details of the DF-41 have been released, but the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington said it may have the world’s longest range at 15,000 kilometres. US nuclear tipped missiles fall a few thousand kilometres short of that.

Analysts say the DF-41, flying at 25 times the speed of sound, might be able to reach the US in 30 minutes with up to 10 warheads for separate targets. China’s current mainstay missile the Dongfeng-31 — Dongfeng means “east wind” — has a range of more than 11,200 kilometres that puts most of the continental US within reach.

(Excerpt from The Sun. Article by Jon Lockett and Debbie White.)