China's AG600 large amphibious aircraft obtains type certificate

BEIJING, April 20 (Xinhua) -- China's independently developed AG600 large amphibious firefighting aircraft on Sunday obtained its type certificate from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) in Beijing, marking its successful development and approval to enter the market.

It is a milestone of China's development capabilities in the large special-purpose aircraft sector and the civil aircraft manufacturing industry, said the aircraft developer Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), the country's leading aircraft manufacturer.

AG600 is China's first large civil special-purpose aircraft developed in accordance with the requirements of the civil aviation airworthiness regulations.

It is a type of major aeronautical equipment developed to meet the urgent needs of the national emergency rescue system and the national natural disaster prevention and control system, safeguarding the safety of people's lives and property.

AG600 is the world's largest civil amphibious aircraft in terms of takeoff weight. Its successful development also fills China's gap in the large-sized amphibious aircraft sector, according to the AVIC.

Its size is slightly larger than that of the mainstream single-aisle airliners currently in the market. It has a length of 38.9 meters, a height of 11.7 meters, and a wingspan of 38.8 meters, according to data from the developer.