AIRCRAFT FOR EMERGENCY RESCUE
The AG600, together with the Y-20 large transporter and the C919 single-aisle passenger airplane, is part of China's key project to independently develop a "large aircraft family."
Code-named Kunlong, the AG600 is a key piece of aeronautical equipment in China's emergency-rescue system. It is developed by the AVIC to meet the needs of firefighting and marine rescue missions, as well as other critical emergency-rescue operations.
It is also the first Chinese homegrown large specialized aeroplane to be developed under the civil-aircraft airworthiness standards, said the AVIC.
The first AG600 successfully completed its maiden flight in 2017, its first take-off from a water reservoir in 2018, and its maiden flight over the sea in 2020.
The aircraft requires diverse testing areas and will need to meet strict requirements due to the complicated nature of its future missions.
It is capable of operating in complex weather and environmental conditions, with the capacity to rescue up to 50 people per mission.
VAST POTENTIALS
The AG600 research and development team gained key-tech of amphibious aircraft during the AG600 tech-demonstrator's diverse maiden flights from the ground, water reservoir and the sea, as well as diverse key functional test flights, said the AVIC.
The AG600 will be capable of serving firefighting missions in 2023. Then, the firefighting type and emergency rescue type of AG600 aircraft are expected to receive certification and enter the market respectively in 2024 and 2025.
The AVIC will facilitate building of the Chinese homegrown air-emergency-rescue-product system with the AG600 project as the lead. It will accelerate the AG600's entry into the market, and boost construction of the emergency-rescue command center and demonstration operation base, said the AVIC.
