It has a maximum takeoff weight of 53.5 tons and a max flight range of about 2,800 miles.
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It is by far the world’s largest amphibious aircraft, about the size of a Boeing 737.
The AG600 rolled off a production line in the southern city of Zhuhai on Saturday, in what aviation observers see as a milestone for the country.
The aircraft can also collect 12 tons of water in 20 seconds and transport up to 370 tons of water on a single tank of fuel. “After receiving the call, we can quickly take off, land on the water surface directly, and help the victims on to the plane even under inclement weather conditions such as encountering two-meter high waves.
The Chinese plane, which is targeted at the domestic market, will be “very useful in developing and exploiting marine resources”, the article said, adding that it could be used for “environmental monitoring, resource detection and transportation”.
A group of 70 aircraft component manufacturers and research teams from over 150 institutes from 20 different provinces and municipalities in China worked for almost seven years to produce this aviation marvel.
Xinhua said AVIC has received 17 orders for the plane so far.
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The AVIC TA-600, also known as AG-600, is a large amphibious flying boat that is being designed and built in China by the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC). The announcement of the completion of the AG600 comes less than week after five people were killed and five others were injured after an amphibious plane crashed into a Shanghai highway bridge.
