AG600, China's domestically developed seaplane model, received its type certificate on Sunday from the Civil Aviation Administration of China, clearing the way for its delivery.
This means that the AG600, the world's largest and heaviest amphibious aircraft, has completed a long list of stringent tests and has gained permission to enter the market, AVIC said.
The AG600 is China's second amphibious aircraft model after the SH-5, which was developed in the 1970s for military purposes and has long since been retired from service.
It is one of three large-sized aircraft to emerge from the nation's ambitious effort to become a top-tier player in the global aviation sector, joining the Y-20 strategic transport plane and the C919 narrow-body jetliner, which are both in active service.
Development of the AG600 was approved by the central government in June 2009 and began in September that year. Tens of thousands of researchers and engineers from 312 domestic institutes, enterprises and universities took part in the program. Construction of the first prototype began in March 2014 and was completed in July 2016.
The AG600 made its maiden flight in December 2017 in Zhuhai in South China's Guangdong province, taking off and landing at an airport. Ten months later, it carried out the first water-based takeoff and landing on the Zhanghe Reservoir in Jingmen, Central China's Hubei province. In July 2020, the seaplane conducted its first sea-based test flight over the Yellow Sea.
Over the past several years, four prototypes have been built to undertake various kinds of tests across the country to verify the flying boat's capabilities and compliance with airworthiness standards.
Boosting a length of 37 meters and wingspan of 38.8 meters, the AG600 is roughly the size of a Boeing 737. It is the world's biggest operating amphibious aircraft, surpassing Japan's ShinMaywa US-2 and Russia's Beriev Be-200.
The aircraft, which is designed for both ground- and water-based takeoffs and landings, is capable of rescuing 50 people during a maritime search and rescue mission. In a typical firefighting operation, it can collect 12 tons of water from a lake or sea within 20 seconds to douse fires over an area of about 4,000 square meters, designers said.
