Better seaplanes 'vital' for rescue missions

China must speed up the development of amphibious aircraft to be better equipped to conduct maritime search and rescue missions, said an aviation expert.

Wang Ya'nan, deputy editor-in-chief of Aerospace Knowledge magazine, referenced the proverb, "A thousand days the country nurtures its soldiers all for one day of battle", in supporting his point that China must quickly develop amphibious aircraft.

"Some people who say such equipment are becoming useless will eventually realize they are indispensable," he added. "We say that Russia's Beriev Be-200 Altair turbofan amphibious jet had little worth in modern aviation, but it has shown us that it can play a big role in today's maritime operations."