North Korea’s lavish military parades, primarily used as a powerful propaganda tool, also serve an important purpose for showcasing the DPRK’s latest advancements in weapons technology. Contrary to 2015’s relatively conservative display, the 2017 parade commemorated the 105th birthday of Kim Il Sung and placed a heavy emphasis on new long-range ballistic missile systems and other new military vehicles, sending a strong message about its continued determination to develop its military above all else.

Overflying the parade were 27 Chinese CJ-6 trainer aircraft, neatly spelling out the number “105” in reference to the reason for the celebration.[/p