Flying boat deemed ready for maiden flight in Zhuhai

The domestically produced amphibious aircraft AG600, the largest of its kind, has passed official technical quality assessment for a maiden flight in Zhuhai, according to Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC).

Review sessions were held from Dec 1 to 3 during which experts evaluated flight techniques, crew quality, maintenance levels, and air traffic control.

AG600 [Photo by Zhang Zhou/Zhuhai Daily]

The special-purposed flying boat is 37 m long with a wingspan of 38.8 m and maximum take-off weight of 53.5 tons. Its range exceeds 5,000 km with speeds up to 570 km per hour as it is powered by four turboprop engines.

The AG600 can fight fires by dropping up to 12 tons of water collected in 20 seconds, and perform search-and-rescue operations for 50 passengers. It will be of use in maritime environment monitoring and protection, resource detection, and passenger and cargo transport.

Yang Shuanchang, deputy director general of the department of equipment industry at the Ministry of Industry & Information Technology, extended congratulations to AVIC upon clearing the assessment and thanked them for their hard work. He pledged continued support for important new types of multifunctional civil aircraft in China.

The aircraft came off the assembly line of China Aviation Industry General Aircraft (CAIGA) South China Aircraft Industry (Zhuhai) in Jinwan District last July.

The developer said earlier this year that it has received orders for 17 AG600s.