REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, GUANGZHOU -- China has completed production of a massive amphibious aircraft that it plans to use to fight forest fires and perform marine rescue missions.
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 has a maximum take-off weight of 53.5 tonnes, a maximum flight range of 4,500 km, and it can collect 12 tonnes of water in 20 seconds, according to state aircraft maker the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC).
The AG600 is by far the world's largest amphibian aircraft, about the size of a Boeing 737, according to AVIC deputy general manager Geng Ruguang.
The unveiling of the AG600 came shortly after Chinese heavy transport aircraft the Y-20 officially entered military service on July 7 and China's first large passenger aircraft, the C919, rolled off the final assembly line in November 2015. Geng described the AG600 as "the latest breakthrough in China's aviation industry."
It is the result of nearly seven years of work by a group of 70 aircraft component manufacturers and research teams with over 150 institutes from 20 provinces and municipalities in China. The development and production of the plane received government approval in 2009.
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