Humvee manufacturing in China

A Dongfeng (Eastwind) EQ2050 at the China People's Revolution Military Museum during the "Our troops towards the sky" exhibition.

There are at least two Chinese automobile manufacturers building Humvee copies, possibly with the assistance of AM General. Both Humvee copies rely heavily on imported U.S.-made parts including chassis, gear box, and diesel engine. It appears that at least one company, Dongfeng Motor Corporation (DFM), has the full consent and cooperation of AM General. Both manufacturers claimed that they will be able to gradually increase the percentage of indigenously made content on the vehicles in the future, since the People's Liberation Army is unlikely willing to accept any equipment that relies largely on foreign made parts.

Background

During the 1988 Beijing Defence Exhibition, AM General demonstrated an example of its M998 4x4 high-mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicle (Humvee) to the People's Liberation Army. The vehicle was reportedly left in China after the exhibition closed for further testing and evaluation. The PLA did not show much interest initially due to the vehicle’s high unit price and maintenance costs, but this attitude was somehow changed during the 1991 Operation Desert Storm, when the Humvee gained high publicity in front of press cameras.

The Chinese petroleum industry has purchased a small number of Hummers, the civilian version of the Humvee, through commercial sources from the United States since the mid-1990s. This provided the Chinese auto makers with an opportunity to examine the vehicle closely and for reverse-engineering. In 2002, Shenyang Aircraft Corporation (SAC) revealed its Humvee copy known as SFQ2040 “LieYing” (Falcon). Later in 2003 another Humvee copy EQ2050 'Dongfeng Armour' developed by DFM made its debut in a car show. Both companies are actively promoting their products to the PLA as a potential candidate for the replacement of the Soviet-inspired jeep-size BJ2020S series light utility vehicles currently used by the PLA.

Both EQ2050 and SQF 2040 are based on imported AM General Hummer H1 chassis. The DFM EQ2050 is powered by a Dongfeng licensed built Cummins EQB150-20 110kW/2,700R turbo-charged diesel, but it can also be fitted with the U.S.-made V8 diesel originally designed for Humvee. Both vehicles have a 5-speed gear box and a 2-speed transfer box. They are both four-wheel drive with independent suspensions and central inflating system. The EQ2050 also has re-designed lights and radiator to make itself look different from the original Humvee.

Like the Humvee, both vehicles are available in a range of configurations including soft-top, hard-top, truck, shelter, etc. Dongfeng recently introduced two wagon versions of the EQ2050: the EQ2028 and its armoured military police version EQ2058.

SAC SFQ2040

Meanwhile Shenyang Aircraft Industry Co (SAC) version called "Zhanshen," for God of War, is trying to impress the PLA with a vehicle-mounted mobile air defence missile system jointly developed with NORINCO, the primary weapon manufacturer in China. The missile system, mounted on an SAC SFQ2040, is similar to the U.S. Army HMMWV-mounted Avenger air defence system. SAC also emphasizes the low cost of its SFQ2040, only one third of the price of the U.S.-made Humvee.

Unlike the steel body EQ2050, the SAC SFQ2040 has an aluminum alloy body, making it much lighter than the former. Both vehicles have limited armour protection against small calibre weapons. The vehicles can be fitted with additional equipment such as air conditioning, GPS, night vision equipment, vehicle-mounted radio, electric winch, and multipurpose weapon mount.

See also

• Humvee
• FMC XR311
• FN Herstal AS 24
• M151 MUTT
• Mahindra Axe

References

• ChinaAutoWeb.com: Hummer-Inspired Chinese Trucks
• Jamestown Foundation article
• Sinodefense article
• Beijing Jeep BJ2022 Brave Warrior version
• Foreign Policy blog on Pirated Hummers
• "China Clones the American Avenger Air Defense System with reference to a HMMWV copy". Archived from the original on 2006-11-15.
• Paul Tan Article on Asian Auto industry cloning of western vehicles Also includes Honda CRV's, Mercedes Benz E-Class
• China Car Forum article
• Archived China Car Forum page with more Links
• Auto Tom website article in Chinese
• International Herald Tribune article