Nation’s self-developed amphibious rescue airplane Kunlong to take maiden flight
China’s self-developed amphibious aircraft AG600, codenamed Kunlong, is expected to take its maiden flight over the sea in the second half of 2020 off the coast of East China’s Shandong Province, the Aviation Industry Corporation of China announced.
This would be major progress in the research of the airplane after it was flown over land in 2017 and on water in 2018.
The flight is to comprehensively test the aircraft’s adaptability on the sea, such as the corrosiveness of sea water and the impact of wind and waves, Wang Yanan, an expert on aircrafts and chief editor of Aerospace Knowledge, told the Global Times on Sunday.
“If the test flight is successful, it means the aircraft can undertake more offshore missions,” Wang said.
The research on the amphibious rescue aircraft depends on China’s actual needs as it has a 32,000-kilometer-long coastline and a large extent of offshore waters, Wang said.
Wang expects that it will be a year before the aircraft is ready to be deployed.
“This aircraft is likely to be a platform. With this platform, it can be turned into a multipurpose aircraft. For example it can be used in sea rescues, deliver materials to islands and reefs and for emergencies and disaster relief as it can take off directly from rivers and lakes, and for sightseeing along coastal cities,” he said.
The AG600 has completed 308 hours of test flights in preparation for the sea flight. The city government of Qingdao, where the maiden flight will be carried out, is helping push security work such as maritime rescue, port dispatching and medical aid.
Similar in size to the Boeing 737, the AG600 can fight forest fires, undertake water rescues, monitor maritime environment and carry out patrol missions, media reported. It can rescue 50 people in distress at one time and carry out on-water rescues in complicated weather conditions.
A military expert said the coronavirus outbreak does not have major impact on the project of the aircraft, and that a seatest flight is a major milestone in the aircraft’s development.