Dongfeng EQ2050

The Dongfeng EQ2050[lower-alpha 2] is a Chinese-made armored vehicle based on the Humvee, manufactured for government use by the Dongfeng Motor Group. It is known to be sold by the company for 700,000 Yuan ($93,000).[4] The vehicle was created after People's Liberation Army (PLA) officials saw the Humvee deployed in the Gulf War. While it is used in the PLA, it has also been exported to friendly countries for military use.

Dongfeng EQ2050
A Bangladesh Army EQ2050.
Type
Place of originChina
Service history
In service2007 – Present
Used bySee Users
Production history
DesignerAM General[lower-alpha 1]
Designed2004
ManufacturerDongfeng Motor Group
Produced2007 – Present
VariantsSee Variants
Specifications
Mass3,250 kg (7,170 lb) (Curb Weight)
Length4,970 mm (196 in)
Width2,134 mm (84.0 in)
Height1,960 mm (77 in)
Crew1 (Driver)
Passengers3 (Passengers)
Main
armament
Various
Secondary
armament
Various
Engine
  • GM 6.5 litre V8 turbo-charged diesel (EQ2050)
  • EQB150-20 110kW/2,700R turbo-charged diesel (EQ2058)
Transmission
  • 4-speed gearbox (Automatic) (EQ2050)
  • 5-speed gearbox (Manual) (EQ2058)
Operational
range
130km/h (Maximum Road Speed)
References[1][2][3]

History

AM General presented a Humvee to the PLA for a demonstration in 1988 at the Beijing Defence Exhibition.[1] The PLA were not interested in the vehicle, due to concerns of high maintenance costs and the vehicle's bulky size.[1][5] The Humvee was seen in action worldwide via television during Operation Desert Storm, which gave the PLA second thoughts about having a similar vehicle for military use.[6]

The Chinese petroleum industry purchased civilian Hummers in the 1990s.[1] This gave Chinese automakers the ability to inspect the vehicle for reverse engineering.[6] In 2003, the EQ2050 debuted at a car show after a prototype was made in 2002.[1] Dongfeng Motor Group and Shenyang Aircraft Corporation were involved in producing prototypes similar to the Humvee for the PLA, with the former being selected.[7]

The vehicle became the PLA's preferred candidate in 2004, with 57 vehicles sent to the organization for trials from 2004 to 2006.[1] They were driven in the Tibetan Plateau, Gobi desert, and the northeastern parts of Heilongjiang province to simulate driving the EQ2050 in winter conditions.[1]

The first 100 EQ2050s were manufactured with American-made parts.[6] They passed design trials in 2006.[1] EQ2050s were then delivered to PLA special forces unit in the Guangzhou Military Region.[8]

While the EQ2050 was adopted by the PLA, it has also been adopted by People's Armed Police firefighter brigades[9] and by Chinese Public Security Police forces.[6][7] A civilian concept known as the Brave Soldier was put on display at the 2011 Shanghai Auto Show.[10] The CS/VA1 Light Strike Vehicle was first seen on public display at the 2012 Africa Aerospace & Defence Exhibition in Pretoria, South Africa.[11][12]

In October 2016, the EQ2050 was reported to be deployed by the PLA near the Afghan-Chinese border.[13][14] During the 2020 Belarusian protests, Radio Free Europe reported the deployment of Belarusian EQ2050s throughout Minsk.[15]

In the 2020 China–India skirmishes, Zhou Liying made allegations in social media that the Dongfeng-made EQ2050s suffered poor performance which contributed to the deaths of Chinese soldiers due to its armor via WeChat.[16][17] The PLA's English-language website announced that Zhou was arrested for spreading rumors about the quality of the EQ2050s.[16] Zhou has apologized for making rumors.[16]

Development
Interior of the EQ2050 at the 2016 Moscow International Automobile Salon convention.

When the vehicle was first built, the EQ2050 included the Hummer H1 chassis.[2] It was powered by a Dongfeng-built Cummins EQB150-20 110 kW/2,700R turbo-charged diesel engine, but it came with the option of using a U.S.-made V8 diesel engine instead.[2][6] The licensing rights for the Cummins engine were purchased so that Beijing could avoid any potential sanctions.[5]

Since 2008, almost all parts for the EQ2050 are made in China.[2] Both the EQ2050 and EQ2058 vehicles have a 5-speed gear box and a 2-speed transfer box.[18]

The EQ2050 is a four-wheel drive vehicle with an independent suspension system and central inflating system.[2] The EQ2050 has redesigned lights and radiators.[1] Dongfeng worked with AM General Motors to acquire American parts for the first EQ2050s made in production[8] before the company was able to produce the necessary parts in China.[1] The vehicle can be configured to be armed with machine guns, automatic grenade launcher, or anti-tank missiles mounted on top.[3] Body styles include soft, hard, truck, and van versions.[1][2]

It was previously licensed to DRB-HICOM in Malaysia to be marketed to countries that needed a right-hand drive vehicle, as the HICOM High Mobility Utility Vehicle (HMUV).[19]

Variants
  • EQ2058: A version of the EQ2050 made for military purposes, which has an armored body outfitted via armored plating.[1] Bonnet/door are made of non-composite materials to reduce detection through infrared radiation.[1] Equipped with EMP shielding from EMP disruptions.[1]
  • CS/VA1 Light Strike Vehicle: A fast attack vehicle that can be equipped with either a machine gun or automatic grenade launcher.[11] It is marketed by Norinco.[20]
  • CSK002 Airbone Assault Vehicle: Airborne assault vehicle equipped with smoke grenade dischargers, a machine gun on top and an AGL on the front passenger seat.[21][22]
  • DongFeng CS/SS4: Self-propelled mortar system with the Type 81 mortar attached on the vehicle's body.[23]
  • Brave Soldier: A civilian version of the EQ2050 which will use petrol engines instead of diesel engines as a concept.[24] Sometimes known as EQ2040H Brave Soldier.[25] Working models were shown in Chinese auto shows.[25]
  • Pickup Truck[26]

Users
Map of HMMWV (Humvee) operators worldwide. Dark blue shows HMMWV operators, light blue shows PRC HMMWV operators

Potential operators

Notes
  1. The design was influenced by AM General's Humvee
  2. It is also known as Dongfeng Mengshi (东风猛士)[2]

References
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  2. "Hummer-Inspired Chinese Trucks (1): Dongfeng "Hanma" (EQ-2050, 2058)". China Auto Web. Archived from the original on September 28, 2012. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
  3. "Dongfeng EQ2050 Light Utility Vehicle | Military-Today.com". www.military-today.com.
  4. "Chinese". Gasgoo.
  5. "Пять видов американского супероружия, которое скопировал Китай". 42.tut.by. April 5, 2017.
  6. Tycho de Feyter (May 13, 2011). "A black Dongfeng 'Hummer' police car in China". Archived from the original on January 21, 2012.
  7. Tycho de Feijter (April 17, 2011). "Dongfeng 'Hummer' police version for Shanghai". Archived from the original on July 18, 2011.
  8. Tycho de Feyter (July 10, 2010). "Meet the Monster: Xiaolong XL2060L". Car News China. Archived from the original on February 23, 2013. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
  9. Tycho de Feyter (August 19, 2011). "Dongfeng 'Hummer' Fire Bigade edition from China". Car News China. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
  10. ""悍马"大变身 东风猛士应急通信指挥车_谍照曝光-网上车市". news.cheshi.com.
  11. "Norinco CS/VA1 Light Strike Vehicle at AAD 2012".
  12. "AAD 2012: NORINCO Light Strike Vehicle makes international debut – Land Warfare – Shephard Media". www.shephardmedia.com.
  13. "Exclusive: Chinese security forces caught patrolling deep inside eastern Afghanistan". WION.
  14. "Subscribe to read | Financial Times". www.ft.com. Cite uses generic title (help)
  15. "Troops spotted heading into Belarus capital Minsk". defence-blog.com. August 9, 2020.
  16. "China arrests citizen for claiming Chinese soldiers died in clash with India because of corruption". Hindustan Times. August 7, 2020.
  17. Desk, EurAsian Times. "Chinese Version Of US Humvees Lambasted For Poor Performance After India-China Clash At Galwan Valley?". eurasiantimes.com.
  18. "Dongfeng EQ-2050, 2058 Features". China Auto Web. Archived from the original on April 26, 2013. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
  19. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on November 14, 2011. Retrieved November 14, 2011.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  20. "China North Industries Corporation" (PDF). web.archive.org. January 18, 2019.
  21. Tutu, Andrei (November 20, 2014). "Chinese Humvee Clone Assault Vehicles Leave Soldiers Unprotected". Retrieved September 3, 2018.
  22. "Zhuhai Airshow 2014: the CSK002 Airborne Assault Vehicle - CarNewsChina.com". November 13, 2014. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
  23. "AirShow China 2018: Dongfeng CS/SS4 82mm self-propelled mortar system".
  24. Tycho de Feyter (June 2, 2011). "Dongfeng working on a Hummer for the People". Car News China. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
  25. "Dongfeng EQ2040H Brave Soldier Concept debuts on the Beijing Auto Show - CarNewsChina.com". April 24, 2014. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
  26. "New variant of the Dongfeng EQ2050 for the Chinese army - CarNewsChina.com". July 25, 2014. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
  27. "A Dozen Armored Cars Better Than The Humvee". April 14, 2016. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
  28. James Dunnigan (July 12, 2012). "The Great Chinese Hummer Give-Away". Archived from the original on March 10, 2013. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
  29. "China donates 22 off-roaders to Belarusian Army". Belarusian Telegraph Agency. June 20, 2012. Archived from the original on June 30, 2012. Retrieved January 18, 2013.
  30. "China to provide the Defense Ministry of Belarus 22 armored vehicles". The China Times. Archived from the original on January 19, 2013.
  31. Parameswaran, Prashanth. "China Gives Belarus New Armored Vehicles". thediplomat.com.
  32. "Bogatyr – "chiński Humvee" w służbie Białorusi – Defence24". www.defence24.pl.
  33. "Военные парады в Минске. Современная армейская техника. Антология 2010–2016". mpark.pro.
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  35. de Cherisey, Erwan (August 17, 2018). "Central African military receives new equipment". IHS Jane's 360. Paris. Archived from the original on August 18, 2018. Retrieved August 22, 2018.
  36. "EQ2050 Light Utility Vehicle". Sino Defence. February 13, 2009. Archived from the original on October 27, 2012. Retrieved January 18, 2013.
  37. "Gabon parades VN1 armoured vehicles". web.archive.org. December 11, 2020.
  38. https://kienthuc.net.vn/quan-su/kinh-ngac-dan-vu-khi-luc-quan-lao-se-duyet-binh-o-vieng-chan-1174530.html#p-6
  39. "Mali's armed forces receiving 53 vehicles from Algeria – defenceWeb". web.archive.org. June 7, 2020.
  40. "Tajikistan has purchased Dongfeng CS/SS4 82mm self-propelled mortar system".
  41. "Tajikistan parades newly acquired Chinese-made equipment". web.archive.org. November 24, 2020.
  42. "China Delivers 20 MengShi 4×4 army light utility vehicle to Trinidad and Tobago".
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