China's first comprehensive atmospheric survey aircraft completes maiden flight

BEIJING, July 6 (Xinhua) -- China's first domestically developed fixed-wing aircraft for comprehensive atmospheric environment detection has successfully completed its maiden flight, according to its developer, the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC).

The aircraft is built using the Y12F platform, an 8-tonne class turboprop utility/regional aircraft, developed by AVIC Harbin Aircraft Industry Group Co., Ltd. It will provide essential vertical detection capabilities for China's regional atmospheric pollution monitoring, China Media Group (CMG) reported on Sunday.

Traditional ground-based monitoring stations are limited in observing the vertical distribution of pollutants. The development team has performed extensive modifications and system integration on the aircraft to meet high-sensitivity stereoscopic detection requirements.

The aircraft's core mission is to monitor multiple pollutants simultaneously, including atmospheric particulate matter such as PM2.5 and PM10, gaseous pollutants, greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane, as well as cloud water physical and chemical properties.

It is the only domestic civil aircraft model that has simultaneously obtained type certificates from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), reflecting its robust reliability and international recognition, according to the CMG report.

The aircraft is scheduled to undergo more than 30 hours of test flights at various altitudes and under diverse environmental conditions. The data gathered will be crucial for refining the operational performance of the integrated system, providing powerful technical support for China's research in environmental protection and climate change.