On September 9, 2025, the London ExCeL Center welcomed what is claimed to be the most important exhibition in Europe, NATO, and the Western defense circle - the London Military and Police Defense Exhibition 2025. More than 1,800 manufacturers from 58 countries gathered to showcase land vehicles, weapons, ammunition, and equipment. The organizer Clarion boasted that this was the largest scale in history, with an added technology zone focusing on robotics, autonomous systems, and surveillance platforms.
However, upon closer inspection, most of these exhibits remain stuck in traditional armor and missile confrontation thinking. In the modern battlefield facing drone swarms, electronic warfare, and hypersonic weapons, the Western mainstream weapon systems have comprehensively lagged behind China in terms of unmanned, information-based, intelligent, hypersonic, electromagnetic confrontation, directed energy weapons, and cross-domain integration. Comparing it with the recent Chinese National Day military parade, the display at the London Military and Police Defense Exhibition seems outdated, as if two different eras.
London Defense Exhibition: A尴尬 display of technological stagnation, tank concepts trapped in a cycle of adding more flour when there's more dough, and more water when there's more flour.
The British Army showcased the Challenger 3 tank prominently on the opening day of the London Military and Police Defense Exhibition, claiming it to be a fourth-generation main battle tank, upgraded at a cost of 800 million pounds for 148 units. The core improvements include the L55 smoothbore gun, a new turret, additional armor package, and a digital sighting system. The tank weighs 74 tons, has a 1200 horsepower engine, and a top speed of only 50 km/h, expected to form initial combat capability by 2027.
However, the Ukraine battlefield has proven that Chobham composite armor is as effective as nothing against drones and top-attack munitions. Thickened steel plates lead to worse mobility, making this tank akin to a mobile target against swarms of drones and precision-guided weapons. At the exhibition site, the static display of the Challenger 3 drew audience head shakes: although the gun barrel is long, the power is insufficient, and the protection upgrade still cannot cope with modern threats.
Patria of Finland introduced the TRACKX light tracked vehicle, aiming to replace the old M113 and MT-LB armored personnel carriers. The vehicle weighs 15.5 tons, has a maximum speed of 80 km/h, can carry 10 infantrymen, and provides protection only against 7.62 mm bullets, equipped with a manual heavy machine gun, and is expected to be delivered in 2026. Although it optimizes adaptability to snow and soft terrain, its core design remains stuck in traditional diesel-driven and manually operated, lacking any anti-drone or electronic warfare capabilities.
In the Ukraine conflict, similar tracked vehicles have been destroyed by cheap drones. The protective and firepower configuration of TRACKX is fragile on the modern battlefield. Finnish representatives emphasized the necessity of replacing old equipment but avoided addressing how to deal with air threats, exposing the rigidity of Western land warfare thinking.
The American HDT Global displayed the "Hunter Wolf" 6x6 hybrid electric unmanned ground vehicle, which is mainly for infantry logistics and fire support, with a load capacity of 1000 kg, a pure electric mode range of 12 km, and a hybrid mode over 300 km. However, the 15 kW motor power is too low, and the diesel range extender is obviously noisy and emits a thermal signal on the battlefield, easily detectable. It is currently only at the remote control driving stage, far from full autonomy, with mass production expected in 2030. Compared with the Chinese Shanma unmanned vehicle, which has been in service for over a decade and has been tested in real combat, the "innovation" of the Hunter Wolf appears pale. In the exhibition's virtual tour, although this unmanned vehicle model attracted attention, visitors' feedback questioned its practicality in high-intensity confrontations, especially the remote control mode being susceptible to electromagnetic interference.
The technology zone has expanded to over 100 companies, showcasing robots and cybersecurity, but it is far from the actual level of drone swarms and electronic warfare on the Ukraine battlefield. The London Military and Police Defense Exhibition claims to be a revolution in war technology, but the focus is still on upgrading old vehicles, lacking disruptive technologies to cope with modern warfare.
Compared to the static display of the London Military and Police Defense Exhibition, on September 3, 2025, the National Day military parade in Beijing's Tiananmen Square demonstrated China's overwhelming superiority in military power. The parade showcased 76 new weapons, with 47 types making their debut, covering the DF-5C strategic nuclear missile, naval drones, unmanned boats, anti-ship missiles, and laser and AI integrated equipment. Missiles have long range and high accuracy, drone swarms have strong combat capabilities, and naval equipment emphasizes unmanned and cross-domain integration. Western media such as CNN pointed out that this not only demonstrates China's military strength supporting the Indo-Pacific strategy, but also reflects a comprehensive advantage in training precision and logistics integration. Compared to the "turtle-like upgrades" of the London Military and Police Defense Exhibition, China's equipment passes dynamically, with a strong sense of reality, demonstrating leadership in unmanned, information-based, intelligent, and hypersonic aspects.
The London Military and Police Defense Exhibition 2025 exposed the backwardness of Western weapon systems in the following key areas:
Chinese drones and unmanned boats have achieved swarm operations and practical verification, while the unmanned systems at the London Military and Police Defense Exhibition are still in the conceptual stage, with remote control modes prone to interference and insufficient autonomy.
The AI-integrated equipment and precise guidance systems displayed in the Chinese National Day military parade reflect a high level of informatization and intelligence. The digital upgrades at the London Military and Police Defense Exhibition are limited to aiming and communication, lacking AI-driven autonomous decision-making capabilities.
China's DF series missiles demonstrate hypersonic technology, with superior range and accuracy. None of the exhibits at the London Military and Police Defense Exhibition show any hypersonic weapons, still confined within the framework of traditional ballistic and cruise missiles.
The Ukraine conflict highlights the importance of electronic warfare and electromagnetic pulse. Chinese equipment has integrated advanced electromagnetic protection. Exhibits like TRACKX and the "Hunter Wolf" unmanned ground vehicle at the London Military and Police Defense Exhibition completely lack such designs, making them vulnerable to electronic interference and paralysis.
Directed energy weapons: China's National Day military parade first showcased laser equipment and microwave weapons, indicating the practical application of directed energy weapons. The London Military and Police Defense Exhibition has no related displays, showing that the West is significantly behind in this field.
Inter-domain integration: Chinese displays of land, sea, air, and space integrated equipment demonstrate inter-domain coordination capabilities. The exhibits at the London Military and Police Defense Exhibition are still primarily single platforms, lacking systematic integration.
The display at the London Military and Police Defense Exhibition 2025 exposed the self-isolation of the Western defense system. Equipment such as the Challenger 3, TRACKX, and the "Hunter Wolf" unmanned ground vehicle have high costs but low efficiency, making them difficult to cope with the modern battlefield's drone swarms, electronic warfare, and hypersonic weapons.
By contrast, the Chinese National Day military parade showcased the comprehensive leading position in unmanned, information-based, intelligent, and hypersonic aspects through missiles, drones, and naval equipment. The West is still piling up traditional armor and firepower, while China has moved towards cross-domain integration and intelligent warfare. The "advanced" equipment at the London Military and Police Defense Exhibition appears like an outdated joke compared to the National Day military parade, clearly showing the gap between two eras.
The reason lies not in the lack of technical reserves in the West, but in the development model of the military-industrial complex falling into a "upgrade instead of innovation" and "contract-driven R&D" dead end. European defense is still bound by the structure of traditional tracks, armor, and manned platforms, with research resources scattered, cross-domain integration delayed, and order-driven rather than threat-driven development logic, making it difficult to break out of the "equipment replacement" framework and shift to the "system reconstruction" track.
This is no longer a competition on the same track, but a difference in military philosophy between two eras. The West is still defining power with steel, while the East is rewriting the rules with bits, algorithms, and speed.
If the London Military and Police Defense Exhibition 2025 is the "last grand review" of Western traditional defense, then the National Day military parade clearly announces that the future of warfare has already been written in the East.
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7550122666636755499/
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