China's AG600 amphibious plane passes high-temperature, high-humidity flight test

China's independently developed AG600 large amphibious aircraft has passed a flight test under high-temperature and high-humidity conditions, said the developer of the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), the country's leading aircraft manufacturer, on Thursday.

The AG600 carried out the 2.5-hour test on Tuesday at an airport in Nanchang, east China's Jiangxi Province. All systems performed well, the company said.

The aircraft was exposed to the sun for five hours in an environment with an average temperature of over 35 degrees Celsius and an average humidity of over 44 percent before the flight test.

The high-temperature and high-humidity conditions tested the aircraft's hydraulic system's ability to function during flight after extreme exposure, and passing the flight test is a major part of the AG600's certification process.

The AVIC said the AG600 aims to obtain the certificate by the end of this year.

More intensive flight tests are underway. Four AG600 airplanes are undertaking airworthiness tests across the country to verify their performance and compliance with standards.

In February, the AG600 completed a cold-weather flight test in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

The AVIC said the aircraft then underwent a night flight test and multiple other tests, such as the in-flight airspeed calibration and standard stall speed.

According to the company, after the latest test in Nanchang, an AG600 will fly to a civil aircraft test center in Pucheng in northwest China's Shaanxi Province.

There, it will undergo more tests and other related missions.

The AG600 large amphibious aircraft family is being developed as vital advanced aeronautical equipment to strengthen the country's emergency rescue capabilities, according to the developer.

The AG600 series features a unique configuration consisting of an integrated aircraft-shaped upper body and a ship-bottom-shaped lower body.

This aircraft family is tailored to carry out rescue missions such as firefighting and maritime search and rescue in all types of terrains across the country, said the developer.

(With input from Xinhua.)