China's AG600 amphibious aircraft begins certification flight tests

China's large amphibious aircraft, the AG600, has entered the flight certification test phase, the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) announced on Tuesday.

The Airworthiness Certification Center of the Aviation Administration of China issued the Type Inspection Authorization (TIA) to the first model of the AG600 large amphibious aircraft family, said AVIC, China's leading aircraft manufacturer.

The move means that this aircraft's configuration condition and expected airworthiness and safety performance have met the TIA requirements. It also lays a solid foundation for the AG600 aircraft to complete the airworthiness certification, said the AVIC.

Before obtaining the TIA, four AG600 aircraft, meant for test flights, were sent to conduct the airworthiness compliance flight tests.

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

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

According to the AVIC, this amphibious aircraft family is China's first independently developed large-sized special-purpose civil aircraft. It is tailored to meet the needs of forest firefighting, maritime rescue and other emergency rescue missions.

Notably, it is being developed with a focus on amphibious capability, versatility across multiple models, and serialized development, the developer said.

This series of aircraft can be fitted with equipment and facilities to meet the diverse needs of users in fields such as marine environment monitoring, resource detection, and passenger and cargo transportation.

The AG600 tech demonstrator completed its maiden flight in 2017, the first take-off from a reservoir in 2018, and its maiden flight over the sea in 2020.

The development of this type of large amphibious aircraft family is of great significance to enhancing the capability and level of China's homegrown civil aeronautical products, as well as promoting the leapfrog development of China's emergency-rescue aeronautical equipment system, said AVIC.