New combat aircraft for export makes debut flight

The FTC-2000G, a new multirole combat aircraft developed for export by the State-owned defense giant Aviation Industry Corp of China, made its debut flight in Anshun, Guizhou province, on Friday morning.

An FTC-2000G, painted yellow, took off at 10:48 am at Anshun Huangguoshu Airport and flew for about 16 minutes amid thick clouds. More than 1,000 people, including AVIC executives and provincial leaders as well as ambassadors and military attaches from several nations, took part in the ceremony marking the debut flight.

The FTC-2000G, designed and built by Guizhou Aviation Industry Group, an AVIC subsidiary, is a fixed-wing, multirole combat plane tasked mainly with airstrikes against ground targets. It can also be used as a fighter jet or trainer aircraft, according to AVIC.