China's AG600M, a full-state, new-configuration amphibious firefighting aircraft, has successfully tested its ability to draw and drop 12-tons of water during a flight in Central China's Hubei province on Sept 27, 2022. (Photo by Yue Shuhua/for chinadaily.com.cn)
Operators of the AG600M, the fire-extinguishing variant of China's AG600 seaplane, tested the craft's capability of collecting and discharging its maximum load of water for the first time on Tuesday, according to Aviation Industry Corp of China.
The State-owned aircraft maker said in a news release that the amphibious plane was piloted by a four-member crew and took off from the Zhanghe Airport in Jingmen, Hubei province, at 10:05 am. It carried 12 metric tons of water, the maximum amount allowed for the model.
The seaplane flew to a designated airspace and then discharged the water in a mock fire-extinguishing operation before landing on the waters of the Zhanghe Reservoir.
It sailed quickly on the reservoir, collecting 12 tons of water in 15 seconds, and then took off from the water to return to the same airspace and repeated the discharge process.
The test was concluded at 10:16 am, when the aircraft landed again on the reservoir, according to the AVIC.
The company said the test verified that the plane is capable of putting out a blaze and was a big step forward in the development project.
The AG600M model performed its first land-based test flight in Zhuhai, Guangdong province, in late May. It carried out its first water-based test flight in Jingmen in late August.
It has a maximum takeoff weight of 60 metric tons. In a typical firefighting operation, it will collect 12 tons of water from a lake or sea within 20 seconds and use it to douse blazes over an area of about 4,000 square meters, said designers.
The airworthiness certification work will begin in 2024, while the initial deliveries are expected to start before 2025, according to AVIC.
The original model — the AG600 — is China's second amphibious aircraft model, after the SH-5, which was developed in the 1970s for military purposes and has long since been retired from service.
With a length of 37 meters and a wingspan of 38.8 meters, the AG600 is roughly the size of a Boeing 737. These specifications make it the world's biggest amphibious aircraft, surpassing Japan's ShinMaywa US-2 and Russia's Beriev Be-200.
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