China’s amphibious plane completes maiden flight

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China’s first self-developed amphibious aircraft AG600 completed on Sunday its maiden flight in Zhuhai, south China's Guangdong Province, marking a milestone in the country's amphibious aircraft development.

The aircraft took off from the Zhuhai Jinwan Airport at 9:39 a.m. local time and made a smooth landing at 10:43 a.m., marking the completion of a successful first flight.

Captain Zhao Sheng and three other crew members were aboard the plane.

The aircraft conducted scheduled tests, including a preliminary inspection of systems and basic control performance, during the 64-minute flight.

AG600 during its maiden flight /VCG Photo

AG600 is the world's largest amphibious plane and the first large specialist civil aircraft independently developed by China.

The 37-meter-long plane is around the size of a Boeing 737 and has a wingspan of 38.8 meters. It has a maximum take-off weight of 53.5 tons and a maximum flight range of 4,500 kilometers, said its developer Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC).

It rolled off the production line on July 23 last year and passed the official technical quality assessment at the beginning of December, with a special flight permit issued on December 7.

The amphibious aircraft is expected to be used to fight forest fires, and carry out maritime search and rescue missions.

It is a major aviation equipment for China’s construction of an emergency rescue system.

Wildfire fighter

The amphibious aircraft is expected to be used to control forest fires. /VCG Photo

AG600 is an ideal extinguisher as it features fast speed, large coverage and high efficiency.

It can carry as much as 12 tons of water, which it can release in 20 seconds, covering a fire area over 4,000 square meters in size.

Maritime rescuer

AG600 can carry out rescue operations under extreme meteorological conditions, and is capable of resisting two-meter-high waves. /VCG Photo

AG600 is also a "master of sea rescue."

With top cruising speeds of 500 kilometers per hour – over 10 times that of a salvage ship – and an endurance of up to 12 hours, the plane can carry out rescue operations under extreme meteorological conditions. It is capable of resisting two-meter-high waves, and can rescue 50 people in distress at any given time.

Its largest radius of rescue operation reaches 1,600 kilometers, which could cover most of China’s sea areas and exclusive economic zones.

AG600 is a production of innovation. Ninety-eight percent of over 50,000 components of the aircraft were provided by domestic suppliers and over 95 percent airborne products made in China, according to AVIC.

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