China's AG600 amphibious aircraft capable to perform firefighting tasks

An AG600M firefighting aircraft drops water during a gathering and dropping water test in Jingmen, central China's Hubei Province, Sept. 27, 2022. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)

BEIJING, July 19 (Xinhua) -- China-developed AG600 large amphibious aircraft have been verified as capable of performing firefighting tasks, the aircraft developer announced Tuesday.

AG600 aircraft have completed the typical firefighting verification flight-test subjects, showing that the large amphibious aircraft model is capable of carrying out such missions, said the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), the country's leading plane-maker.

During the first half of this year, three AG600 airplanes conducted 172 test flights, with a total of 430 flight hours, at multiple sites across China, the AVIC said.

During the test flights, the performance of the aircraft's platform and its firefighting systems were verified. The test-flight aircraft conducted the water-dropping operations involving loads of three, six and 12 tonnes of water, and verified the aircraft's performance in various operation modes, postures, speeds and altitudes.

The relevant technical indicators are in line with the design requirements of the aircraft. At this stage, the AG600 amphibious aircraft have the practical application capabilities to safely perform firefighting tasks, the AVIC said.

Crew members of an AG600M firefighting aircraft disembark from the plane after a gathering and dropping water test in Jingmen, central China's Hubei Province, Sept. 27, 2022. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)

Codenamed Kunlong, or "water dragon" in Chinese, the AG600 aircraft family has been developed as vital aeronautical equipment to strengthen China's emergency rescue capabilities.

The AG600 can combat forest fires, perform maritime search and rescue, and other critical rescue missions.

The year 2023 is vital in the aircraft's development. A series of flight test and ground test missions will take place this year to ensure that the aircraft is capable of carrying out firefighting missions. These tests will be conducted to ensure progress toward securing the airworthiness certification, the AVIC said.

The AVIC will continuously promote the verification of the aircraft's safety, firefighting functions and performance, performance in typical task scenes on plain and plateau regions, flight support capabilities, and emergency-response capabilities, said the developer.

By now, the AG600 aircraft has comprehensively entered the airworthiness certification phase. It is expected to receive a type certificate by 2024.