Chinese Hummers Part 1: The Dongfeng Warrior & The Shenfei Falcon

Today we take a deep dive into the Chinese Hummer program. Like so many other countries, China got interested in an HMMWV-like vehicle after the first Gulf War. We take a look at four Chinese Hummer programs.  China being China, each of these programs has a base model + dozens and dozens of derivative military and civilian variants.

The programs are:

1. Dongfeng Iron Armor/Warrior EQ2050.
2. Shenfei Falcon SFQ2040.
3. Beijing Brave Soldier BJ2022.
4. Xiaolong Fierce Dragon XL2060L.

I have chopped the story in two. In this first part the Dongfeng and the Shenfei.

The early history of the Hummer in China

AM General presented a Humvee to the PLA at the Beijing National Defense Exhibition in 1988. The PLA was not interested in the vehicle due to concerns about high maintenance costs and weight. Still, AM General left a Humvee in China, hoping the Chinese would change their minds.

During the first Gulf War in 1991, television footage of the Humvee in action around the world caused the PLA to reconsider its position. But by that time there was an arms embargo imposed on China by the US and the EU. And even though a Humvee didn’t qualify as a ‘weapon’, it proved impossible to restart talks about export to China if the vehicles would be used by the PLA. So the Chinese had to find another way. Happily, in 1992, AM General had begun selling a civilian version of the Humvee under the Hummer brand.

In the mid-1990s, the state-owned China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) purchased several Hummers, officially for surveying and mapping, to support oil exploration in China. These were non-armored civilian vehicles sold to a supposedly civilian company.  These ‘exploration’ vehicles eventually entered PLA research laboratories where they were dismantled and reverse-engineered. The main laboratory was the Military Vehicle Research Institute (军车研究社). The knowledge that the PLA gained was transferred to two Chinese automakers: the Dongfeng Motor Group (DFM) and the Shenyang Aircraft Corporation (SAC). They went to work to see if they could produce the Hummer in China. But they faced lots of difficulties.

In 2001, Dongfeng decided to send engineers to the United States to interview AM General employees to learn more about Humvee’s engineering and manufacturing. They were especially interested in the vehicle’s frame manufacturing process. However, the Chinese engineers arrived shortly after 9/11 and found it nearly impossible to arrange any interviews. According to Sun Tiehan, former chief engineer of Dongfeng off-road vehicles, the desperate Dongfeng team literally tried to enter the AM General Humvee factory to acquire manufacturing techniques, apparently without success.

Nevertheless, in 2002, the General Armament Department (GAD) of the PLA organized a bidding contest between DFM and SAC for the development and production of a Humvee-like vehicle for the Chinese armed forces. DFM and SAC came up with two very similar cars; the Dongfeng EQ2050 and the Shenfei SFQ2040. DFM won the contest and got the contract. SAC lost, but they still made a sizeable number of vehicles.

The 2004 Beijing International Military Logistics Equipment Technology Exhibition

The program was not a secret in China. It was also no secret that the Chinese Humvees were inspired by the American example. This was openly discussed in the media, with some saying that the Chinese version would be much better than the original. That’s how China rolled at the time. This was evident at the 2004 Beijing International Military Logistics Equipment Technology Exhibition (the official English name was ‘China Military Logistics 2004’), held at the Beijing International Exhibition Center. On display were the Dongfeng EQ2050, the Shenfei SFQ2040, and… an original American Humvee. The vehicles were lined up next to each other, free for all to see.

From left to right: Dongfeng, AM General, SAC. At the time, the Dongfeng was still called the Iron Armor (铁甲).

The AM General.

The Shenfei SFQ2040 Falcon.

Dongfeng Warrior (东风猛士) EQ2050

Dongfeng Motors

Dongfeng Motor Corporation, abbreviated as DFM, is one of China’s largest state-owned automotive conglomerates. The company was founded in 1969 and is headquartered in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei Province. The name Dongfeng means “East Wind” in Chinese. This refers to a 1950’s slogan by Mao Zedong, who said: “The east wind overwhelms the west wind”, meaning that China would eventually beat the West. Initially, Dongfeng mainly made trucks, like the 1975 Dongfeng EQ240. Later, they expanded to buses and vans. In the 2000s Dongfeng established joint ventures with Honda, with Nissan, with Kia, and most famously with PSA Peugeot-Citroen. At around the same time, Dongfeng also started its own passenger car business, using technologies and platforms from its joint ventures. Dongfeng currently sells cars under four different brand names. Dongfeng has always been an important supplier to the Chinese armed forces, including trucks and utility vehicles.

The Warrior EQ2050

After DFM was selected, Dongfeng had to start up pre-production. However, the company didn’t have enough parts at the time, so it had to buy parts from AM General. The first 100 or so EQ2050s were built almost entirely with American parts. Dongfeng worked with AM General to source American parts for the first mass-produced EQ2050 before the company could produce the necessary parts in China. Over time, the number of American parts gradually dropped. With one exception: the engines. Mass production eventually started in late 2008.

In 2004, a total of 57 prototypes were delivered to the military for testing and evaluation. The vehicles were tested in some of the harshest climate and road conditions in China, including the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the Gobi Desert, and the ice-cold region of northeastern Heilongjiang Province. The tests were conducted by the Design Finalization Review Committee of the General Armament Department. The official PLA classification was “1.5-ton high-mobility military off-road vehicle”.

The first production cars appeared in 2005. The images showed 3 variants: a soft-top four-door fastback, a soft-top four-door crew cab, and a hard-top two-door pickup truck. The cars had super cool DFM stickers on the sides. The EQ2050 was, and still is, manufactured in the city of Wuhan in Hubei Province. Size of the four-door version: 4995/2134/1960, with a 3300 wheelbase and a 3150 kg curb weight.

Size of the two-door version: 4970/2134/1960, with a 3300 wheelbase. Cargo compartment size: 1105/1320/340.

The engines were American and half American

In the early days, the engine lineup for the EQ2050 was almost entirely American. Dongfeng offered two engines:

1. A General Motors L65 6.5 liter (397 cu in) turbocharged V8 diesel. Rated output: 198 hp and 583 Nm. This ‘Detroit Diesel’ engine was imported from the US. There was no local production. The gearbox was a 4-speed automatic. The top speed was 135 km/h (84 mph). 0-100 took 17 seconds.
2. A Dongfeng-Cummins (DCEC) EQB150-20 3.9 liter (240 cu in) supercharged intercooled 4-cylinder diesel. Rated output: 153 hp and 502 Nm. The gearbox was a five-speed manual. The top speed was 115 km/h (72 mph).

 Dongfeng-Cummins

Quick d-tour: Dongfeng-Cummins (DCEC) is a Chinese-American engine-making joint venture, established in 1986, making it one of the earliest US-Chinese automotive joint ventures.  DCEC is still in business. They make a wide range of engines that are used in, among others: heavy trucks, light trucks, pickup trucks, buses, ships, and many military vehicles, even including tanks. Dongfeng Motor is one of DCEC’s main customers. All their heavy trucks use DCEC engines, and so does the entire current Warrior lineup. DCEC also sells engines to numerous other Chinese car makers.

The 2007 update

In 2007, the Dongfeng Warrior got an upgrade. The front was resigned with a new grille and lights. In the center of the grille the Dongfeng logo. The characters are 猛士, Warrior. The engines didn’t change. The new design would remain the same until 2021. In August 2007, I went to the  ’80 Years PLA’ exhibition at the Military Museum of the Chinese People’s Revolution. They had their latest toys on display, including two Warriors. The first was a camouflaged tactical vehicle version with a gun mount on top.

The second Warrior was a standard wagon model.

I saw this one at a police equipment exhibition in 2009. It was fitted with ‘countermeasure’ equipment, a fancy name for stuff that can block all sorts of mobile communications in a certain area around the vehicle.

This is the four-door fastback variant, as seen at another police show in Beijing. This is a SWAT car, with a police light bar on the roof. The PLA is the biggest customer of the EQ2050, but Dongfeng also sells it to the People’s Armed Police (PAP), to the regular police, and to all sorts of other government agencies.

Civilian version

At the 2008 Beijing Auto Show, Dongfeng unveiled a civilian version of the Warrior. I was at the show too. Dongfeng had a bright yellow car on display, with super shiny wheels. They had also fielded a male model, which was very weird at the time. These were the days of the half-naked babes crawling all over any car. And here was Dongfeng, with the most manly vehicle one could imagine, with a male model. Perhaps they wanted to attract female buyers. The civilian version was launched the same year, powered by the GM L65 engine. It sold for a massive 880,000 yuan. But Dongfeng didn’t find many buyers. Due to China’s strict emission regulations, it was nearly impossible to register the Warrior for normal road use, even back in 2008.

The 2021 upgrade

In 2021 the Warrior received a major upgrade with a new design and a new engine. It was divided into a civilian series and a military series. The military version is still called the Warrior. The civilian variant is now called the Warrior M50. ‘Civilian’ includes cars for the police and other government agencies. Customers furthermore include state-owned companies working in difficult environments, like mining companies and construction companies. It is not available in the general passenger car market.

It has a redesigned front with a streamlined nose and small round headlights. The triple top-mounted windshield wipers look neat. This car costs 668,800 yuan or $93.6K. What do you get? A Dongfeng-Cummins 4.0-liter turbocharged diesel engine with an output of 200 hp and 600 Nm. The top speed is 120 km/h. Fuel consumption is steep; 13.5 liters per 100 km, but thanks to a big tank it still has a 600 km range. Size: 5320/2310/2020, 3800. The curb weight is a hefty 4.05 tons. Dongfeng sells the Warrior M50 in dozens of variants, including a 2-door pickup truck, 2 and 4-door wagons, high roof, long-wheelbase, chassis cabs, you name it.

A final word on the Dongfeng Warrior

The Dongfeng Warrior EQ2050 is thus still going strong. It is used by the Chinese armed forces and dozens of other Chinese government agencies. It has been deployed with Chinese UN peacekeeping missions all over the world. The EQ2050 has been exported to countries in the Middle East, Africa, and Central Asia. The development of new models and variants continues even today. Dongfeng has also used the platform for a separate series of armored vehicles. Over the years, Dongfeng has unveiled numerous civilian-focused Warrior concept cars, with the idea of turning the Warrior name into a brand. This hasn’t really happened, but recently Dongfeng launched an all-new electric vehicle under the Warrior name, powered by four electric motors, with up to 1000 hp. This new Warrior will eventually become a stand-alone brand, offering a series of rugged-looking off-road capable SUVs.

Shenfei Falcon(沈飞猎鹰) SFQ2040

About Shenyang Aircraft Corporation

Time to go to the second Chinese Hummer; the Shenfei Falcon. Shenfei (沈飞) is short for Shenyang Feiji (沈阳飞机). That means Shenyang Airplane. Shenyang is a city in northeastern Liaoning Province. Shenyang Feiji is short for Shenyang Feiji  Gongye (沈阳飞机工业), which means Shenyang Aircraft Corporation, abbreviated in English as SAC. This company was, and still is, based in the city of Shenyang. The company is known as “The cradle of Chinese fighter jets”. It was founded in 1951, with technical assistance from the Soviet Union. In its early years, SAC produced Soviet fighters under license. But, as always, the Chinese reverse-engineered the airplanes, improved them, and then produced them under a new name.

At the Hummer time, their main fighter was the Shenyang J-11. The J-11 was a China-built licensed variant of the Soviet/Russian Sukhoi Su-27. In a story that may now seem familiar, the Chinese started to add more and more of their own parts to the aircraft and eventually launched a vastly improved variant which they called the J-11B. Russia was not amused and refused to sell any new aircraft to China for a decade. This didn’t really bother the Chinese, who continued to develop new variants of the J-11. The airframe was subsequently used as the base for the much more advanced Shenyang J-16 multirole strike fighter and the J-15 carrier-based multirole fighter.

Like many military companies at that time, SAC had a car-making business too. Their earliest product was the Shenfei SFQ12, a locally-made variant of the Beijing NJ212 utility vehicle. The car in the photo has a cool Liaoning-province license plate, a flashlight, and an extra cover over the hood to keep the engine warm in the hard northeastern winters.

Later on, SAC expanded to buses and to a larger lineup of cars. The red one on top is a SAC-designed SUV based on the SFQ2022 (middle), which was derived from the SF212. The larger cars have Nissan Patrol genes. SAC sold the SFQ2022 to the local armed forces, and this is how they were tasked with developing a Hummer.

The Falcon SFQ2040

As we have seen, SAC lost the contest with Dongfeng. But that didn’t stop them from developing a flock of variants with various designs. But the start of the SAC Hummer project was a bit false:

The first SFQ2040 is on display. It had a Falcon badge under the right indicator. But it really was just an imported Hummer H1. SAC didn’t even bother to remove the H1 logos on the front fender, and check the back:

It still had the Hummer lettering on the tailgate.

The production car

Happily, things got better soon. This red car is the first real production version of the civilian variant of the SFQ2040, made in a new factory in Shenyang. It still looks a lot like a Hummer, but Shenfei designed a new grille, and they made some changes to the headlights. Amazingly, the SFQ2040 had a Dongfeng-Cummins engine under the hood. So Dongfeng’s joint venture provided the engine for the competitor of Dongfeng. I bet the Chinese government did a bit of convincing there. The engine code was EQB125-20. It was a 3.9-liter diesel rated at 126 hp. The top speed was 107 km/h. The Shenfei had an aluminum alloy body, which made it lighter than the Dongfeng, which was made of steel. Shenfei, as an aircraft maker, had a lot of experience with aluminum. Size: 5100/2200/1920, with a 3300 wheelbase and a 2900 kg curb weight. It was rated as a four-seat vehicle.

Shenfei claimed it was very capable off-road, saying it could: cross an 850mm ditch, a 440mm vertical obstacle, climb up a 60% slope, and pass a 40% side slope. The company said at the time: “It is almost unstoppable on any harsh road surface, like walking on flat ground.  As long as the Hummer can do it, the domestic Falcon will do it in the future.”

This is the military variant. Two test cars were seen at night on Hainan Island in the early 2000s. This is the four-door fastback variant.

Via: Weibo.

A new design, again.

Strangely, the new design didn’t last long. Shenfei came up with another new design.  The whole front got a makeover, with a new grille, new headlights, and new indicators. The shape of the hood was new too.

This grille had six vertical bars with the Shenfei logo in the middle. At the same time, Shenfei launched a two-door pickup truck variant of the Falcon. This variant was used for several anti-aircraft defense versions of the Falcon. These were usually developed by third-party defense companies, using the Falcon platform. In the photo a Falcon carrying a FB-6A air defense system, developed by Poly Technologies, one of China’s largest weapon makers and exporters.

Another redesign

The new design didn’t last long, again. In 2006, SAC came up with yet another update. The front had a different layout, with square main headlights and a new grille.  In the photo is a Falcon pickup truck version with the AVIC Hunter I (猎手I) air defense system. AVIC is China’s largest aircraft maker and one of the country’s largest weapon makers. Note the blue AVIC logo on the door.

A final word on the Shenfei Warrior

After the Falcon was rejected as a general-purpose vehicle, SAC tried to find a new niche for the Falcon; by selling the platform to weapon makers as a base for air-defense systems. The niche was simply too small. And in the end, most weapon makers used variants of the Dongfeng Warrior as a platform for their wares. The Falcon just didn’t catch on and it is largely forgotten in China today. The aluminum body was an interesting unique selling point. It made the Falcon lighter than the Warrior, but also more expensive, and weaker. There are likely just a very few Falcons left alive today, if any. I have never seen one myself, not on show and not in a museum.

They were together once

It wasn’t always hatred between the Dongfeng EQ2050 and the Shenfei SFQ2040. They were together at least once, at the 2008 Zhuhai Air Show. Chinese weapon- and aircraft maker AVIC showed its Hunter II (猎手II) air defense system. The radar was mounted atop a Dongfeng and the missile launcher atop a Shenfei. The Hunter II is not a successor of the aforementioned Hunter I. They were different systems.

The Falcon features the latest grille design, and the wheels were painted white.

The Warrior radar vehicle.

The end of Part 1

And that brings me to the end of Part 1. China wanted a Hummer and they got one. In the early days of development, they received willing and some unwilling assistance from the United States. The engines that power the current generation Dongfeng Warrior are still half-American, manufactured by one of the oldest Sino-US joint ventures. Next time: the Beijing Brave Soldier BJ2022 and the Xiaolong Fierce Dragon XL2060L.