PUTRAJAYA: The roar of tanks and fighter jets captivated crowds at the National Day celebrations at Dataran Putrajaya as Malaysia’s military might took centre stage.

Tanks, jeeps and support vehicles rolled past in the parade, with Armed Forces personnel marching alongside them on Monday (Aug 31).

The vehicles, decked out in the Armed Forces’ distinctive green and brown camouflage, were accompanied by artillery of various sizes towed by trucks.

As armoured vehicles left Dataran Putrajaya, excitement continued as military aircraft roared across the skies.

The airshow opened with two fighter jets streaking past the venue while releasing flares.

Military helicopters followed, flying parallel to the stands and giving spectators an extended view of the aircraft before multiple aircraft swept overhead in formation.

The aerial display culminated in a jet performing a slow roll while releasing flares, drawing cheers from the crowd below.

The celebrations also offered spectators a rare close-up view of Malaysia’s military ordnance, including aerial bombs, missiles and torpedoes.

Among the largest weapons displayed were the MK82 and MK83 aerial bombs, each weighing about 500kg, as well as the Exocet MM40 and submarine-launched Exocet SM39 anti-ship missiles.

The Exocet missiles, each measuring almost 6m-long, stretched across much of the trailers carrying them and drew considerable attention from spectators.

For the first time, the celebration also featured the Johor Military Force, the SEA Games 2027 contingent and the Orange Economic Sustainability cluster contingent.