The AG600 amphibious plane showed on the 2022 Zhuhai Air Show Photo: VCG

China's indigenously-developed AG600 large amphibious aircraft has entered the airworthiness flight-test phase, the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) announced on Wednesday.

Two AG600M airplanes, the firefighting model belonging to the AG600 aircraft family, have arrived at the flight-test center in Yanliang District in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, said the AVIC, the country's leading plane-maker.

This marked the official entry of the special-mission aircraft into the flight-test phase, which is a necessary step for it to obtain the type certificate, the AVIC added.

At the flight test center, the AG600M airplanes will firstly receive modifications needed to conduct the various flight tests.

A number of tests, including the static test and others, have also been initiated, said the AVIC.

Codenamed Kunlong, or "water dragon" in Chinese, the AG600 aircraft family is being developed to serve emergency rescue missions. It can be used in forest firefighting, maritime search and rescue, and other critical emergency rescue missions.

A member of the AG600 family, the AG600M is specifically designed to combat forest fires. Its maximum take-off weight is 60 tonnes, with a water-carrying capacity of up to 12 tonnes and flight range of up to 4,500 km. It can conduct low-altitude flying at low speed, enabling it to drop water accurately on fire sites.

The AG600M made the water carry and drop test in September 2021 in Jingmen, Central China's Hubei Province. It can draw 12 tons of water in 15 seconds, the AVIC said in a statement sent to the Global Times.

The test effectively evaluated the core capacity of the aircraft. It is a critical step forward for the aircraft to serve China's emergency rescue system and natural disaster prevention and control system, read the statement.

At the test flight site, two companies signed contracts with the AVIC to purchase six AG600M aircraft, indicating a firm step forward of the aircraft toward the market, according to the statement.

The AG600 is a major aviation equipment developed to meet the urgent needs of China's emergency rescue system and the construction of the national natural disaster prevention and control system. It is China's first large special-mission aircraft developed according to civil airworthiness standards. The AG600, together with the Y-20 large transport aircraft and C919 large passenger airplane, are three of China's key projects in large aircraft development.

The AG600 has a maximum take-off weight of 60 tons and a maximum water holding capacity of 12 tons. With a pressurized cabin, fly-by-wire control, integrated avionics and comprehensive task system, the aircraft is safer, can transport more water, has longer range, and has better potential for serialized development than the original demonstrator aircraft.

The model has achieved 100 percent domestic independent production including engines and key airborne systems based on the domestic industrial, supply and innovation chains.

This year is key for the development of AG600 aircraft. Aiming to make progress toward securing the airworthiness certification, the aircraft will be subjected to a series of tests in 2023, said the Chinese developer.

These tests include the iron-bird test, lab validation test, static test, airworthiness validation flight test, and quality tests for airborne devices, and more. 

The AG600 aircraft family made constant progress in 2022, in terms of both aircraft development and market exploration.

As vital aeronautical equipment in the emergency rescue system, the AG600 has attracted attention from the market.

It is expected that the firefighting model and emergency rescue model of AG600 aircraft will obtain certification in 2024 and 2025, respectively, according to the AVIC.

China's 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) has proposed to improve the national emergency management system by strengthening and improving the air rescue system and capabilities.

The State Council of China has unveiled a plan to boost the development and capabilities of the modern emergency management system over the 2021-2025 period by increasing aircraft for forest fire-fighting missions and expanding air-rescue capacities to cover key forests and grasslands across the country.

Xinhua - Global Times