China's AG600 amphibious aircraft completes all prior-certification flight tests

China's AG600 large amphibious aircraft are pictured at a flight test base in Pucheng County of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, July 17, 2024. (Xinhua/Shao Rui)

BEIJING, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- China's AG600 large amphibious aircraft on Friday completed all of its prior-certification flight test subjects, a key step toward achieving its airworthiness certification target, announced the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC).

The Chinese independently-developed AG600 aircraft on Friday accomplished the compliance flight test subject of combustible liquid discharge at a civil aircraft flight test center in Pucheng County in northwest China's Shaanxi Province, the AVIC said.

Over the past two years, the AG600 aircraft conducted up to 2,014 flight movements totaling 3,560 flight hours for flight test missions prior to its airworthiness certification, said the developer.

The AG600 aircraft traveled to multiple sites across the country to carry out its flight tests in order to secure special meteorological conditions for some flight tests.

The AVIC said the flight tests were conducted in diversified scenarios, such as water surface, extreme cold, high temperature and humidity, crosswinds, and typical firefighting tasks to verify the aircraft's operational capabilities in various special environments.

China's AG600 large amphibious aircraft family is being developed as vital advanced aeronautical equipment to strengthen the country's emergency rescue and natural disaster prevention capabilities.

The AG600 aircraft family is tailored to carry out rescue missions such as firefighting and maritime search and rescue in all types of terrain across the country.