China's next generation off-road tactical armored vehicle undergoes examination procedures with the People's Liberation Army before its commissioning into the military. Photo: screenshot of China Central Television

The Chinese military is currently putting its next-generation off-road tactical armored vehicle through a series of tests, as the vehicle is expected to be commissioned into the People's Liberation Army (PLA) soon, China's state broadcaster revealed.

The lightweight, highly mobile off-road vehicle is designed to operate on very difficult terrain and in complicated battlefield situations, and analysts said on Thursday that such a feature could allow it to rival the US' Humvee.

Guo Chao, a PLA vehicle tester, was recently tasked with conducting examination procedures on the vehicle, which include high-speed runs on angled tracks and passing a variety of difficult, combat-oriented terrain thousands of times, China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Wednesday.

It has already passed bulletproof capability examination. The vehicle can resist concentrated attacks from 7.62 millimeter caliber rounds, a bullet type used by many rifles, proving it can protect personnel from light weapon fire, the report said.

While the report did not identify the name of the vehicle, Chinese military observers said on Thursday judging by its logos the vehicle is likely the latest product from the Dongfeng Mengshi off-road vehicle series.

Compared to previous in-service vehicles, the new vehicle likely features technology allowing it to operate during more complicated battlefield situations and will have a longer service life, an expert on military vehicles told the Global Times on Thursday, requesting anonymity.

The new Chinese vehicle can be compared with the US' Humvee, but is probably even superior to it in terms of armor and versatility, the expert said.

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, CCTV reported.

The heavy weapons could include heavy machine guns, rockets launchers and missiles, making the weapons highly mobile even over extreme terrain, the anonymous expert predicted.


Newspaper headline: Next-generation tactical vehicle to enter service