In a significant milestone, China's AG600 large amphibious aircraft successfully completed all its flight test subjects on Friday, marking a crucial step toward achieving airworthiness certification. The announcement was made by the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC).
The AG600, independently developed by China, accomplished the compliance flight test for combustible liquid discharge at a civil aircraft flight test center in Pucheng County, located in northwest China's Shaanxi Province. Over the past two years, the aircraft has undergone 2,014 flight movements, totaling 3,560 flight hours, demonstrating its robustness and reliability.
To ensure comprehensive evaluation, the AG600 conducted flight tests across multiple sites nationwide, adapting to special meteorological conditions necessary for various test scenarios. These tests included diverse environments such as water surfaces, extreme cold, high temperatures, humidity, crosswinds, and typical firefighting tasks. This rigorous testing validated the aircraft's operational capabilities in a wide range of special conditions.
The AG600 series is designed to enhance China's emergency rescue and natural disaster prevention capabilities. Its unique design features an integrated aircraft-shaped upper body and a ship-bottom-shaped lower body, making it versatile for missions like firefighting, maritime search and rescue, marine environment monitoring, resource detection, and passenger and cargo transportation.
Since its maiden flight in 2017, the AG600 has achieved several firsts, including the first take-off from a reservoir in 2018 and the first flight over the sea in 2020. The successful completion of these tests underscores China's advancements in large-sized special-purpose civil aircraft design and manufacturing, positioning the AG600 as a vital asset in the nation's aeronautical emergency rescue equipment system.
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China's AG600 amphibious aircraft completes all flight tests
cgtn.com
