US, WASHINGTON (ORDO NEWS) — Developed by Aviation Industry Corporation of China, the seaplane AG600 was first tested over the sea. This stage precedes the first sea take-off of Jiaolong, which they plan to implement this year. The tests are designed, in particular, to demonstrate the influence of the marine environment on the airframe of the machine and its key components. Another important aspect is the assessment of manageability.
Recall that the AG600 development program began in 2009, and on December 24, 2017 the seaplane performed its first flight: the car took off from Zhuhai Airport on the shore of the South China Sea. In October 2018, the AG600 was successfully tested for takeoff and landing from the water surface. Tests were conducted in a reservoir on the Zheng He River in Jingmen, Hubei Province.
The AG600 is called the largest seaplane in the world today, although history also knows larger machines of this type. The Jiaolong is 36 meters long and has a wingspan of 38 meters. The aircraft has four WJ-6 turboprop engines. The maximum speed of the AG600 is 570 kilometers per hour.
According to data from open sources, the aircraft is capable of collecting 12 tons of water on board in 20 seconds, which makes it an effective means of combating forest fires. In addition, the AG600 can be in demand for rescue operations on water, monitoring the marine environment and a number of related tasks.
The developers hope that the wide capabilities of the new machine will attract the attention of the whole world. Earlier it became known that China Aviation Industry General Aircraft received orders for 17 of these machines. The price of one aircraft was not reported.
In the coming years, China intends to make a breakthrough in the national aircraft industry, AG600 – only part of the program for the development of large winged vehicles. Two other directions are the transport aircraft Y-20 and the passenger C919.
The latter has recently passed a landmark test phase. On December 27, the air stood sixth prototype airliner. Soon we can expect the first flight of a production car and the commissioning of the aircraft. According to earlier data, Chinese airlines have already placed orders for hundreds of new C919s.
It is important to note that the C919 is the direct and most important competitor of the Russian passenger aircraft MS-21. As of today, Russian aircraft manufacturers have lifted four prototypes of this aircraft into the sky. Unfortunately, the program often encounters postponements, and sometimes technical problems make themselves felt.
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