China's AG600 amphibious aircraft completes forest fire duty

China's domestically developed AG600 "Kunlong" large amphibious aircraft has wrapped up its 2026 deployment in Jiagedaqi, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. The aircraft successfully concluded four months of aerial emergency response and forest fire prevention operations, according to the Aviation Industry Corporation of China on Monday.

During the four-month deployment, the AG600 conducted 35 forest patrol flights, logging 100 hours of safe flight time and dropping around 390 tonnes of water.

The aircraft also took part in forest fire drills in the Greater Khingan Mountains region in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, carrying out intensive firefighting operations, including coordinated air-ground responses and efforts to tackle canopy fires.

With its ability to fly at low altitudes and speeds, large water-carrying capacity and strong maneuverability, the AG600 demonstrated its capabilities in responding to emergencies and fighting fires in complex forest environments.

The AG600 "Kunlong" was independently developed by China to meet the country's needs for forest firefighting and water rescue. It is the world's largest civil amphibious aircraft by maximum takeoff weight.

The aircraft will next enter regular deployment, supporting a new model for forest fire prevention and suppression.