China flies its first home-made large amphibious aircraft

Guangzhou [China], Dec 24 (ANI): China's first home-made large amphibious aircraft finished its first ever flight on Sunday in south China's Guangdong Province.

According to Xinhua, the aircraft AG600, code-named "Kunlong," successfully winged above the clouds from the Jinwan Civil Aviation Airport in the city of Zhuhai at 9:39 am. It remained in the high sky for about one hour.

"Its successful maiden flight makes China among the world's few countries capable of developing a large amphibious aircraft," said Huang Lingcai, chief designer of AG600.

State-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) which developed the aircraft said, "The aircraft is powered by four domestically-built turboprop engines, has a 39.6-meter-long fuselage and a 38.8-meter wingspan."

If the AVIC sources are to be believed, the new aircraft can fly for 12 hours at a time with a maximum take-off weight of 53.5 tonnes and a top cruising speed of 500 kilometers per hour.

It is also believed to be the world's largest aircraft of its type. (ANI)

This story has not been edited. It has been published as provided by ANI