China To Induct 'Humvee' Competitor into PLA

China is set to commission into the People's Liberation Army (PLA) its next-generation off-road tactical armoured vehicle which is seen as a competitor to the United States' High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (Humvee).

“The new Chinese vehicle can be compared with America’s Humvee. The vehicle is probably even superior to the Humvee in terms of armour and versatility,” a military expert told Global Times.

“The lightweight, highly mobile off-road vehicle is designed to operate on very difficult terrain and in complicated battlefield situations,” according to Chinese analysts.

The Chinese off-road vehicle is currently undergoing series of tests after which it will be inducted into the PLA Army. During the bulletproof capability examination, the armoured vehicle could withstand concentrated attacks from 7.62mm calibre rounds.

The tests include “high-speed runs on angled tracks, passing variety of difficult, combat-oriented terrain thousands of times,” CCTV reported Wednesday.

“The Chinese tactical armoured vehicle could be the latest version of Dongfeng Mengshi off-road vehicle series, going by the logo,” the analysts said.

The vehicle is likely to feature technology to enable it to operate in complex battlefield situations with greater service life. Two versions of the vehicle were spotted in the CCTV report, one with four wheels, and another with six wheels towing a cart.

The vehicle can not only conduct personnel transportation missions, but also can be modified to become a battlefield ambulance, a command vehicle or a platform of heavy weapons, the report stated further. 

“Heavy weaponry such as machine guns, rockets launchers and missiles could be equipped on the vehicle,” another Chinese expert said.