AIRBORNE FIREFIGHTER

China's second homegrown firefighting amphibious aircraft, the AG600M, made its maiden flight from land in Zhuhai, South China's Guangdong province, on Sept 10, which marked Mid-Autumn Festival this year.

Piloted by a four-member crew, the plane took off from Zhuhai Jinwan Airport at 9:36 am, flew for about 22 minutes and landed back at the airport. The aircraft will undergo follow-up test flights. Meanwhile, the other AG600M seaplane taxied on a reservoir from Jingmen Zhanghe Airport in Central China's Hubei province at 9:38 am before taking off.

According to the Aviation Industry Corp of China, another two AG600M seaplanes will be manufactured. It is expected that the third one will make its maiden flight in November and the fourth early next year.

On May 31, the first AG600M prototype made its maiden flight from land before its maiden flight from water on Aug 30.

The AG600M aircraft will be able to serve in firefighting missions next year, according to AVIC. The company plans to get the seaplane's airworthiness certificate for firefighting in 2024 and certificate for rescue in 2025. Issued by the aviation authority, an airworthiness certificate is a permit for civilian operation.

The airplane has a maximum takeoff weight of 60 metric tons. In a typical firefighting operation, it can collect 12 metric tons of water from a lake or sea in 20 seconds and use it to tackle any blaze over an area of about 4,000 square meters, according to its developer.

Code-named Kunlong, the AG600M is the fire-extinguishing variant of China's AG600 seaplane developed by AVIC for aerial firefighting and maritime search and rescue. Once in service, it will put an end to the absence of a large rescue aircraft in the country, the company says.

It is China's large-size aircraft project after the Y-20 strategic transport plane and the C919 narrow-body jetliner. At a height of about 12 meters and a length of nearly 37 meters and with a wingspan exceeding 38 meters, the AG600 has a size roughly comparable to that of a Boeing 737. It can take off and land on both ground and water with an operational range of more than 4,000 kilometers.

In June 2009, the central government approved the development of the AG600. It rolled off the production line in July 2016 and completed its maiden flight from land in December 2017.

In May, its fire-extinguishing variant, the AG600M, carried out its first flight. The AG600M is expected to be available for delivery to customers during the 14th Five-Year period (2021-25), state broadcaster China Central Television reported.