A Chinese defense contractor has developed a four-door luxury vehicle with a roof-mounted remote controlled 0.50-caliber machine gun. Images of the SUV and its machine gun were released on the Chinese internet portal Sina.com showing various angles of the weapon. The weapon appears to be a part of the remote weapons station which includes electro-optical sensors and is aimed from the back row of seats by a control panel. The ammunition for the gun is stored on the left side of the vehicle, and a sensor package is present on the right. The weapon system will be exhibited at the Zhuhai Air Show in Zhuhai, China.
The SUV is a Changan CS95, a Chinese-made seven seater which comes with a full leather interior, all wheel drive, and a panoramic sunroof. It also has a navigation system, music and entertainment systems, and remote control systems. The cup holders in the SUV are ergonomically placed and can hold cups of various sizes. The CS95 comes in six paint schemes. The machine gun installed on the roof is the Chinese QJC-88 heavy machine gun. This gun is equivalent to the M2 0.50-caliber rifle which is used in the US and NATO.
The weapon is 12.7-mm round is adopted from the Soviet Union. It is slightly larger but also slower than its Western counterpart. The gun can fire 550 to 600 rounds per minute and has an effective range of nearly 2000 yards. It can be assumed that an SUV with a powerful weapon on top is to provide security to someone, however, it is not clear that the safety is for whom. The 12.7mm gun can cater to most security threats on an open battlefield. The vehicle also doesn’t appear to be armored. There is only 229 horsepower engine in the vehicle which is responsible for moving four passengers, the machine gun, armor, and bulletproof glass. The vehicle can also be used for VIP protection however the massive weapon on top will gather a lot of attention.
