Deutsche Welle. China tested the world’s largest amphibious aircraft on Sunday. The 37-meter (121-feet) long AG600 aircraft plane, codenamed “Kunlong,” took off from the southern Chinese city of Zhuhai and flew for almost an hour on its maiden voyage.
The aircraft has a 38.8-meter wingspan and four turboprop engines. It is around the size of a Boeing 737 and can carry 50 people.
“Its successful maiden flight makes China among the world’s few countries capable of developing a large amphibious aircraft,” chief designer Huang Lingcai told Xinhua state news agency.
The aircraft has military applications but will also be used for firefighting and performing maritime rescues, according to Chinese media.
It took the state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China eight years to build the plane, according to China Global Television Network.
More – see on Deutsche Welle
Photo – DW
