Sci/Tech

World’s Largest Amphibious Aircraft To Arrive By 2022, Says Chinese Company

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6 years ago

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May 18, 2018 07:46pm EDT

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Mark Andrew

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It looks like the world can expect to see the biggest amphibious aircraft ever – at least by 2022, according to a China-based plane manufacturer.

Online reports tell us that the AG600 will have an impressive wingspan of 127 feet (39 meters) and it has been designed mainly for marine rescue and for responding to forest fire.

The AG600 will be the world’s largest amphibious aircraft – and it’s currently a work in progress.

As Huang Lingcai, chief designer of Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), told the Xinhua news agency:

“We are endeavoring to get the airworthiness certification from the civil aviation authorities by 2021, and deliver it to the customers by 2022.”

China has spent 8 years in developing AG600.

The aircraft, which is almost as huge as a Boeing 737, has taken its maiden flight last December and will take more flights this year – including its initial water takeoff.

AG600 is powered by 4 turboprop engines and has a range of up to 4,500 kilometers (2,800 miles). It can carry 50 individuals which makes it perfect for maritime rescue efforts. Furthermore, the plane can also “scoop up 12 metric tons of water within 20 seconds for firefighting trips,” wrote the Daily Mail.

It has likewise been mentioned that 98% of the aircraft’s components are made in China.

The AG600 was created for use over disputed islands, an analyst claims.

Meanwhile, a military analyst observed that the aicraft’s flight capabilities makes it easy for China to deploy it to the disputed islands – without even requiring a runway.

In an earlier statement, James Char of Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University commented:

“Its 4,500-km operational range and ability to land and take off from water makes it well-suited for deployment over China’s artificial islands.”

“The plane’s capacity and maneuverability makes it ideal for transporting material to those maritime features that are too structurally fragile to support runways,” pointed out Char.