China-developed firefighting plane completes maiden test flight

BEIJING -- China's homegrown Modern Ark 60 (MA60) firefighting plane completed its first test flight recently, announced its developer, the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC).

As a large and medium-sized fixed-wing firefighting aircraft, it has functions including fire extinguishing with water dropping, air communications, and fire prevention and monitoring.

It can also transport personnel and supplies in emergency rescue tasks, said AVIC.

The plane features fast cruising speed, long flight range, low flight speed at low altitude, high reliability, and long-distance cross-regional deployment.

Development of the MA60 began in June 2021, with its airworthiness certification scheduled to be completed this year.