Firefighting seaplane takes maiden flight

The fire-extinguishing variant of China's AG600 seaplane carried out its first flight in Zhuhai, Guangdong province, on Tuesday morning, according to Aviation Industry Corp of China.

The State-owned aircraft maker said in a release that the plane was piloted by a four-member crew and took off from Zhuhai Jinwan Airport at 10:55 am. It flew for 20 minutes and then landed back at the airport.

The company said the crew verified control systems and the plane's overall capability during the test flight.

The AG600 is China's second model of amphibious aircraft, after the SH-5, which was developed in the 1970s for military purposes and has long since been retired from service.

With a length of 37 meters and a wingspan of 38.8 meters, the AG600 is roughly the size of a Boeing 737.These specifications make it the world's biggest amphibious aircraft, surpassing Japan's ShinMaywa US-2 and Russia's Beriev Be-200.

Xiong Xianpeng, deputy project manager of the AG600 family, said the aircraft will mainly be tasked with aerial firefighting and maritime search and rescue. The plane can be refitted to conduct marine environment inspections and marine resource surveys, as well as for personnel and supply transportation, he said.

The fire-extinguishing variant has a maximum takeoff weight of 60 metric tons. In a typical firefighting operation, it can collect 12 tons of water from a lake or sea in 20 seconds and use it to douse blazes over an area of about 4,000 square meters, according to its designers.

"Specially modified planes are often used in Western countries to handle large fires in forests or remote regions because compared with other hardware, they are faster and easier to be deployed," said aviation industry observer Wu Peixin.

"Such aircraft are in real need in the domestic market. Also, the AG600 can be used in other areas of business, like lake or marine tourism and transportation among islands," he said.

The AG600 is one of three large-size aircraft to emerge from the nation's efforts to become a top-tier player in the global aviation sector, joining the Y-20 strategic transport plane, delivery of which began in July 2016 to the Chinese Air Force, and the C919 narrow-body jetliner, which is expected to be delivered to customers soon.

The seaplane made its maiden flight in December 2017 in Zhuhai, taking off and landing at a local airport. Ten months later, it carried out its first takeoff and landing on water at Zhanghe Reservoir in Jingmen, Hubei province.

In July 2020, a prototype conducted the aircraft's first sea-based test flight in waters off Qingdao, Shandong province.

The aircraft is designed for land and water takeoff and landing and has an operational range of more than 4,000 kilometers. It can rescue up to 50 people during a maritime search and rescue mission, its designers said.