Artillery gun-outfitted vehicle on display at the 17th China Cross-Straits Technology and Projects Fair in Fuzhou, East China's Fujian Province on Tuesday. Photo: Deng Xiaoci/GT

 

Artillery gun-outfitted vehicle on display at the 17th China Cross-Straits Technology and Projects Fair in Fuzhou, East China's Fujian Province on Tuesday. Photo: Deng Xiaoci/GT

A new domestically-developed, weapons-integrated military vehicle specially designed for airdrop missions made its public debut at the opening of the 17th China Cross-Straits Technology and Projects Fair in Fuzhou, capital of East China's Fujian Province, on Tuesday.

The vehicle is capable of traversing obstacles just over half a meter and passing ditches of 75 centimeters deep and climbing a road with a 45 degree slope. The top speed of the vehicle is 135 kilometers per hour, according to its developer Xiaolong Auto based in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei Province. 

"The general performance of the vehicle compares to the German Mercedes-Benz' Unimog class, and surpasses that of the US military's HUMVEE" an employee surnamed Bai, told the Global Times on Tuesday at the event.

The new vehicle, codenamed "XLW 2040I," is lighter than similar military vehicles so that it can meet requirements for airdrop missions, said Bai.

The vehicle will boost the army's combat capability by providing solid support for its air strike forces and aerial delivery missions, Bai said. 

"It is a very good choice for the country's airborne troops, as it offers great mobility after they are dropped to the battlefield. Such a vehicle will be compatible with the country's Y-8 and Y-9 transport aircrafts that are already in service. The future Y-20 can even carry several of them at the same time," Wei Dongxu, a Beijing-based military analyst, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

The XLW 2040I on display at the event was equipped with a double barrel 25-milimeter artillery gun. The company said the vehicle can be outfitted with 10 different types of weapons, including a 35-milimeter howitzer and an anti-tank bazooka.

The vehicle on display at the show can carry as many as 480 shells for the artillery gun. Its munitions have a range of 4 kilometers and can fire 15 rounds a second. The vehicle's main mission is to intercept and destroy enemy weapons including low altitude jets and cruise missiles.

The prototypes of the vehicles have successfully completed airdrop mission tests with the Chinese People's Liberation Army. It has also conducted live ammunition testing and is set to join the army in the near future, Bai said. 

Outfitting the vehicle with weapons also reduces difficulties for airborne troops after they land, as they don't have to carry heavy weapons, and allows them immediate engagement capabilities, Wei noted. 

The development of such a military vehicle was approved by authorities in 2016 and jointly designed by the Nanjing University of Science and Technology and Xiaolong Auto.

The company said it is exploring the vehicle's export potential in markets in the Middle East and Africa once it is permitted to do so by authorities.