AG600 home-grown aircraft: Beijing ups the stakes in South China Sea with successful trials
Home-grown aircraft is designed for search and rescue missions but could also be used to transport troops, supplies in disputed waterway
Beijing’s military ambitions in the South China Sea were given a boost this week after the country’s first domestically developed amphibious aircraft was reported to have successfully completed a series of on-water tests.
While its main role is to support maritime search-and-rescue missions, military observers said the new AG600 could also be used to transport troops or even conduct surveillance in the disputed waters.
All of those options remain open after China Aviation News reported this week that the aircraft had carried out its first water taxiing trials on a reservoir in central China’s Hubei province.
It also performed well during a low-speed flight and all of its on-board systems worked as they should, the report said.
The AG600, or Kunlong, is the first aircraft of its kind to be built in the country. Roughly the size of a Boeing 737 – at 37 metres (120 feet) long with a 38.8 metre wingspan – it has a range of up to 4,500km (2,800 miles) and is designed to be able to take off and land in two-metre high waves.
Powered by four turboprop engines, it can carry up to 50 people during maritime search-and-rescue missions, and can scoop up 12 tonnes of water in 20 seconds to fight fires.
