China manufactured the AG600 to meet the pressing needs in emergency rescue cases and the prevention and control of natural disasters.
China has given the green light to mass-produce its home-grown amphibious aircraft, the AG600. The aircraft company is the world’s largest amphibious aircraft; it gave a thumbs up to the plan to make China a self-sufficient and internationally competitive aviation industry.
According to the state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV), the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) certified the aircraft on Wednesday, indicating that its manufacturer, the state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), has established a reliable system for producing aircraft with safety regulations.
AVIC is a state-owned aerospace and defense giant in Beijing. State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission supervises it. Its primary focus is manufacturing military aircraft, commercial airplanes, helicopters, and other aviation-related products.
CCTV reported that AVIC stated that the approval to produce aircraft was a significant milestone in manufacturing a “more high-end and standardized” civil aviation manufacturing industry, and it will also help China become independent enough to build an entire civil aviation ecosystem.
The move was a part of China’s larger goal to become self-sufficient in the civil aviation industry and position itself as a significant player in the world market. Now, in the recent incident, the US made some technology curbs, including restricting the exports of jet engines, and this goal has become more urgent to accomplish.
The US government has restricted the sale of critical US technology, including jet engines, semiconductors, and specific chemicals and machinery. The Trump government made this move in response to China’s decision to restrict the shipment of critical minerals to the United States, which Beijing claims will destroy the supply chains for American companies.
AG600 is one of the three significant aircraft developed domestically, along with the Y-20 strategic transport plane and the C919 narrowbody airliner, both are currently in active service.
China manufactured the AG600 to meet the pressing needs in emergency rescue cases and prevention and control of natural disasters.
The aircraft can carry up to 12 tons of water for firefighting missions, and it has a realistic range of 4,500 kilometers and a maximum take-off weight of 60 tonnes.
The plane is the size of a Boeing 737 and was to fight forest fires and sea rescues. It is made to take off and land in 2-meter waves and has a range of up to 4,500 kilometers.
Huafeng, an official with the Jilin Provincial Department of Disaster Management, claimed the prototype was for aerial fire suppression.
He added that the trial run proved that the seaplane performs well in emergency response missions. It would be beneficial for controlling forest and grassland fires.
Ye Junwei, head of the Zhejiang Emergency Management Air Rescue Center, claimed that AG600 would significantly help in forest fire rescue operations.
The first production test flight of the AG600 was conducted in the Guangdong region of South China. The plane flew for 17 minutes after completing a 12-ton water drop test before a flawless landing.
According to state news agency Xinhua, developing an AG600 requires tens of thousands of parts and hundreds of supporting companies, which shows China’s ability to manage an intricate supply chain and coordinate the design and production of large, specialized aircraft.
The project also provided technical standards and management experience that can be applied to future domestically produced aircraft.
The AG600 went into batch production and final assembly in July. In April, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) issued a type certificate, certifying that the design follows the airworthiness regulations.
AVIC now plans to increase the AG600 product line and strengthen the country’s aviation-based emergency response capabilities.