BEIJING – The world’s largest amphibious aircraft, developed by China, on Sunday successfully completed its maiden flight after taking to sky from the southern city of Zhuhai.
The AG600 codenamed”Kunlong” took one-hour long flight and successfully landed at the Jinwan Civil Aviation Airport. The 37-meter-long plane is around the size of a Boeing 737 and has a wingspan of 38.8 meters. The amphibious aircraft can be used to control forest fires, and to conduct maritime search and rescue operations, China’s state media reported.
https://twitter.com/CGTNOfficial/status/944768366589370368
It has a maximum take-off weight of 53.5 tonnes and a maximum flight range of 4,500 kilometers, CGTN quoted its developer Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC). It has a maximum flight range of 4,500 km (2,800 miles).
It can carry as much as 12 tonnes of water, which it can release in 20 seconds, covering a fire area over 4,000 square meters in size.
The plane was scheduled to take the skies earlier this year but its test flight was deferred for unknown reasons after ground tests in April.
It took around eight years for State-owned Aviation Industry Corp of China (AVIC) [SASADY.UL] to develop the aircraft. The state media noted
