China's AG600 amphibious aircraft to start airworthiness test flights
China's domestically-developed AG600 large amphibious aircraft has entered the airworthiness flight-test phase, the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) announced on Wednesday.
Two AG600M airplanes, the firefighting model belonging to the AG600 aircraft family, have arrived at the flight test center in Yanliang District in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, said the AVIC, the country's leading plane maker.
It marks the special-mission aircraft's official entry into the flight-test phase, which is a necessary step in obtaining the type certificate, the AVIC said.
At the flight test center, the AG600M airplanes will first receive modifications needed to conduct the various test flights.
Several tests, including the static test, have also been initiated, said the AVIC.
Codenamed Kunlong, or "water dragon" in Chinese, the AG600 aircraft family is being developed to serve in emergency rescue missions. It can be used to fight forest fires, in maritime search and rescue and in other critical emergency rescue missions.
A member of the AG600 family, the AG600M is specifically designed to combat forest fires. Its maximum take-off weight is 60 tonnes, with a water-carrying capacity of up to 12 tonnes and a flight range of up to 4,500 kilometers. It can also conduct low-altitude flying at low speed, enabling it to drop water accurately on fire sites. Read More…
