China's AG600M amphibious aircraft completes cold-weather flight tests

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, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- China's homegrown AG600M aircraft, a firefighting model belonging to the AG600 large amphibious aircraft family, has completed its cold-weather flight tests, according to the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC).

Two AG600M large amphibious airplanes completed the cold-weather flight test mission at an airport in Hailar District of Hulunbuir in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, said AVIC, the country's leading aircraft manufacturer.

Lasting around two weeks, this round of flight tests was carried out in a cold environment with temperatures ranging from minus 20 degrees Celsius to minus 40 degrees Celsius, which presented a challenging setting to assess the aircraft's performance under low temperatures, frost and freezing conditions.

The cold-weather flight tests verified the functions and performance of the AG600M aircraft's major systems, such as power, fuel, flight control and avionics, in cold environments, the developer said, adding that the tests also assessed the aircraft's maintainability in low temperature.