BEIJING, Jan. 17 -- China's domestically developed MA60 "Modern Ark" regional turboprop airplane family will see its third member MA700 in 2020, according to its developer Friday.

The MA700 project has entered the final assembly phase. And the assembly works of an aircraft for both the maiden flight and the static tests are underway, said the state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC).

The first MA700 aircraft is scheduled to roll off the production line in mid-2020, and the maiden flight is expected to take place within the year.

China's MA60 "Modern Ark" regional airplane family is developed by the AVIC XAC Commercial Aircraft Co., Ltd. in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province.

The MA700 is the third member of China's MA60 series following the MA60 and MA600. It is an upgraded version with high speed and flexible adaptability.