Comments on: Chinese Humvee… er, Mengshi, we Mean… Outperforms American Humvee

By: CJB68

CJB68 — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 00:07:57 +0000

What with Obama and his recruitment of Clinton White House leftovers and most indications of his policies going towards another round of Carter-era hand-wringing and rope-knotting, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Chinese get another boost to make themselves a little closer to being able to catch up. We can thank the Housepets of America (i.e., welfare recipients, leftist intellectuals and disgruntled urban minorities holding grudges against the rest of us) for the mess that’ll bring us into.

By: CJB68

CJB68 — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 00:02:52 +0000

I suppose this is what Nikita Kruschev meant when he scolded us at the UN during a visit some 40-odd years back. To paraphrase, he basically said that we’d sell his Soviets the shovel they were going to bury us with. Always trust our contemporary corporate leadership to put profits above country…

“Yes, of course… go right ahead. We don’t mind.”

By: CJB68

CJB68 — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 23:58:31 +0000

Nice to see that the mindset of the barbarian horde didn’t quite get bred out of the Soviet soldiers of the day…

By: Raven

Raven — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 22:52:42 +0000

Let’s see…
It was finalised in the USA in 1979. It’s 2008 and the Chinese finally have it.

We already have a replacement in the works and already have the MRAPs in the field…

So, we’re 30 years ahead of the Chinese in military technology. That’s comforting to me.

What fighters and bombers were we flying 30 years ago?
What body armour did we field 30 years ago?
What are the differences between our military now and our military in 1979?

Yes. I’m quite comfortable with the Chinese having the Hummer now. Quite.

By: zuiko

zuiko — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 22:51:36 +0000

Chews on his vehicle every day for a few years he might ingest enough lead to lower his IQ… but then how could you tell?

By: Raven

Raven — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 22:46:14 +0000

By: Raven

Raven — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 22:45:38 +0000

Wow…

By: Darin_H

Darin_H — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 19:51:44 +0000

the new H3 is a Yukon underneath (much like a PT Cruiser is just a Neon). I’d rather have a Yukon.

By: Streiff

Streiff — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 16:15:23 +0000

refers to the load it can carry cross-country or on unimproved roads, not the GVH. That's why the classic M35 2 1/2 ton cargo truck, the "deuce and a half" weigjhs about 6 3/4 tons

By: Warner Todd Huston

Warner Todd Huston — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 15:35:01 +0000

Yeah, “official” for an ENEMY MILITARY!! Nice going GM.

By: mikefisk

mikefisk — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 14:52:18 +0000

Unless the Chinese soldiers are busy putting Mengshi parts in their mouth and sucking on them, lead paint shouldn’t be much of a worry to them.

If they are, they have more issues to worry about than the lead in the paint.

By: mikefisk

mikefisk — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 14:49:38 +0000

…1.5 tons? Heck, some subcompact cars weigh that much…

Looking on Wikipedia, a US military Humvee weighs 5,200 pounds, or about 75% more than this Chinese knockoff. The Chinese were probably testing this more as a Humvee-shaped equivalent of a Spanish VAMTAC or somesuch.

Also, Dongfeng Motors, as far as I can tell, works closely with General Motors. This is less “ripoff” than “official bastardization.”

By: roxer

roxer — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 14:18:33 +0000

China asked GM to loan them a Humvee after a weapons show several years ago. The Chinese were extremely impressed with the vehicle. There were actually two Chinese companies competing for the contract. China never returned the vehicle and GM knew better than to use legal means to retrieve it. So much as for being greedy enough to provide potential future enemies with a vehicle that can be used as a weapons platform – so much. heh.

http://www.chinacartimes.com/2006/11/13/the-chinese-humvee-copy-eastwind-eq2050-dongfeng-eq2050/

By: scottbomb

scottbomb — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 13:55:30 +0000

They were cool when they were the actual military version driving down the street. The civilian wannabe versions made today look like toys. They don’t even make the orig. version anymore so if you want one that looks like the kind GIs drive, then you’d better find yourself a military surplus auction.

By: itrytobenice

itrytobenice — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 13:53:11 +0000

A small donation to the clinton Library would get you the plans for a nuclear warhead. Slick Willie probably gave them these specs for a blind date with a geisha girl.

By: woodsman

woodsman — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 13:23:45 +0000

small holes in the wings at odd locations. Apparently, the plane they copied the design from had been shot in several places with small arms fire. The Soviets did not know what the holes were, so since Stalin said exact copies, they copied the holes as well.

By: Achance

Achance — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 13:13:37 +0000

There isn’t a bit of technology in the drive train that is less then 75 years old. It is an interesting and very expensive assemblage of parts. In its original form, I dont’ know that it really did anything that much better than an off the shelf Suburban or Expedition except climb angles, and sheet metal changes would have fixed that. Yeah, a little bit better but at two or three times the price.

What I think the original HumVee represents is a change in philosophy about transport. Heretofore, the US had used lots and lots and lots of pretty low-tech, cheaply produced transport. The HumVee represented a decision to spend the money to use the “good stuff.” It wasn’t new stuff by any means, but it was pretty good stuff.

By: johncaccamo

johncaccamo — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 13:06:47 +0000

the reversed engineered B-29 in Monino, outside Moscow…

Legend has it that the Soviets reverse engineered every single part identically, including the “boeing” cast into the rudder pedals and control columns…

but they never really figured out that whole “center of lift, center of gravity” thing… and they used thicker aluminum (making it almost too heavy for the crappy Soviet engines they used).

“75 patents?” I didn’t know one could patent stolen work…

By: rford

rford — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 13:02:59 +0000

What makes you think this Chinese knockoff has any of those “high-end military aspects”?

By: Achance

Achance — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 13:00:42 +0000

It really isn’t a very technologically advanced vehicle. I know it makes a nice story that the Chinese may have gotten the plans, Hell maybe they did; Bill Clinton sold all sorts of stuff to thejm. But that said, there really isn’t anything special about a military HumVee, and there are lots of ex-military HumVees on the market.