With a takeoff weight of 53.5 tons, a flight range of 4,500 km, a cruising speed of 500 km per hour and an endurance of 12 hours, the AG600 will be for rescue operations and for fighting forest fires. It can also land and take off from a body of water that is 1,500 meters long and 200 meters wide.
The state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), which unveiled the aircraft in the southern port city of Zhuhai on Saturday, said the AG600 is mainly for the domestic market and that it has so far received at least 17 orders.
According to the official Xinhua news agency, AVIC deputy general manager Geng Ruguang said the aircraft has the size of a Boeing 737 but it is far larger than any other seaplane. Testing is expected in the coming months.
World's largest amphibious aircraft #AG600 rolls off a production line in Zhuhai, #China, July 23, 2016. pic.twitter.com/ildmCix1Vg
— Global Times (@globaltimesnews) July 24, 2016
Its wingspan, however, is much smaller than that of the H-4 Hercules, which was used by the Allied forces to carry troops during the World War II.
“The AG600 is like a ship that can fly, with advanced gas-water dynamic engineering and underwater corrosion resistance technology,” said chief designer Huang Lingcai.
Capable of rescuing up to 50 people in a single trip, the AG600 can be used to exploit and transport marine resources, and has the capability to conduct environmental monitoring.
Xinhua reported that 70 aircraft component manufacturers and research teams, and more than a hundred institutes from across China were involved in the project, which the Chinese government approved in 2009.
It is not known whether China will use the AG600 in the South China Sea, where it is currently involved in territorial disputes with several Southeast Asian nations, particularly Vietnam and the Philippines.
“Amphibious planes like the AG600 would be perfect for resupplying the new artificial islands that the Chinese are building in the SCS [South China Sea]. At the same time, these islands would be excellent bases of operations for the AG600 to engage in maritime patrols of claimed territories,” said Richard Bitzinger, coordinator of the Military Transformations Program at Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.
The announcement of the completion of the AG600 comes less than week after five people were killed and five others were injured after an amphibious plane crashed into a Shanghai highway bridge.
With 10 people on board, the plane took off on a flight to Zhejiang province when it slammed into a bridge in Jinshan district shortly after midday.
