AG-600 / Xiaolong 600 - Program
It is a replacement for the Shui Yung 5, the 30 year old aircraft, of which only five were actually built. Four of them were delivered to the PLA Navy in the North Sea Fleet. The fifth aircraft in that fleet was actually sent off to do other civilian tasks, like emergency rescue and firefighting. The Shui Yung 5 was a poorly performing aircraft - it was underpowered. The Beriev A-40, officially in development, and currently existing in the form of a couple of flying prototypes, has a take off weight over 85 tons. It is the largest amphibian in the world now.
Historically, the Xiaolong-600 is the successor of China's low-end aquatic aircraft, which has been in service for more than 30 years. The water bombing-5 is a water-based anti-submarine bomber developed by China itself. It is one of the largest seaplanes in the world, and its predecessor, the Soviet Union. The water bomber-5 was approved for development in 1968. The prototype was manufactured by Harbin Aircraft Manufacturing Company . It was successfully launched in 1976 and officially commissioned in 1986. Due to the obvious defects of the airborne equipment, the military requirements could not be met, and the water bombing-5 failed to be put into mass production. As of 2014 China had at most five SH-5 maritime patrol amphibious aircraft, which were old and cannot perform modern maritime tasks.
In its development, which involved about 150 institutes and research centers, it was invested about 3 billion yuan ($ 441 million). The seaplane is designed for the needs of civil aviation and is designed specifically to combat forest fires and rescue operations. Previously, information was received that the aircraft could be used by the Air Force of the People's Liberation Army of China to protect the country's interests at sea during patrol operations.
Hu Haiyin, deputy general manager of the company, said that market research indicated a domestic market for 60 such craft in the next 15 years. A first flight is planned in 2013 and entering production in 2015.
All units of AVIC cooperated with each other, and AVIC was the main body of responsibility. AVIC Special Flight / China Aviation Flight Research Institute was the chief designer unit. AVIC Tongfei Huanan Company was the main unit of aircraft, coordinating industry forces and carrying out aircraft. Developed. Among them, AVIC Chengfei Civil Aircraft undertakes the manufacture of the nose. The Zhonghang Aircraft Xi'an Branch undertakes the manufacture of the fuselage and the wing. The AVIC Aircraft Hanzhong Branch undertakes the manufacture of the rear fuselage and the rear wing. China Aviation Tongfei Huabei Company bears the short engine. The manufacture of the cabin, AVIC Composites Center undertakes the manufacture of carbon fiber composite parts, AVIC South undertakes the development of the engine, the landing gear is developed in Changsha, the buoys on both sides are developed in Hafei, and the other major components and systems are also related to AVIC.
The first AG600 rolled off a production line in the southern city of Zhuhai on 23 July 2016, in what aviation observers saw as a milestone for the country. The aircraft had a maximum take-off weight of 53.5 tonnes, a maximum cruising speed of 500 km per hour, a maximum flight range of 4,500 km, and a maximum endurance of 12 hours, according to state aircraft maker the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC). The 37-meter-long AG600 with a wingspan of 38.8 meters is "by far the world's largest amphibian aircraft", about the size of a Boeing 737, according to AVIC deputy general manager Geng Ruguang.
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.
"The AG600 is like a ship that can fly, with advanced gas-water dynamic engineering and underwater corrosion resistance technology," said Huang Lingcai, chief designer of the plane. According to the AVIC, the AG600 will mainly target the domestic market. Seventeen intent orders had been placed so far. 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, which demonstrates an overall improvement of China's national strength and research capacity."
The first flight of the aircraft took place in December 2017 in Zhuhai (southern province of Guangdong). To set the take-off speed of the AG600, then it took about 600 m of runway.
AG600, which is one of the largest in the world, successfully passed the first tests on taxiing on the water surface, the Shanghai information portal Knews reported 04 September 2018. During the tests, which are part of the preparation of the aircraft for the first take-off and landing on water, all the main aircraft systems involved in taxiing, the watertightness of the fuselage and several other parameters were checked. The crew of the aircraft reported on the clear operation of all systems and the stability of the aircraft on the water. Before the tests on taxiing, training was conducted on the development of actions in the event of an emergency situation and a complex inspection of the equipment was carried out with an assessment of all possible risks before launching.
These aircraft, together with the artificial islands built by China in Nansha, can change Chinese strength of the South China Sea. The AG600 can transport more than 12 tons of cargo or dozens of people from the Chinese islands controlled by the area to any island reefs or shoals within hours, from which patients and the wounded can be transported back. The aircraft will be produced in passenger and cargo modifications. The AG600 will become the world's largest aircraft of this class. Commercial exploitation will not begin until 2022 after all certification procedures have been completed, which should be completed by 2021.
AG600 successfully made its first sea-based test flight on 26 July 2020. The test flight demonstrated the aircraft's ability to operate in challenging maritime conditions and conduct missions, including far sea cargo transport and maritime emergency rescue, the aircraft's developer said. The AG600 aircraft took off from waters near the coastal city of Qingdao, East China's Shandong Province, on Sunday morning. It was on show for around 31 minutes and finished a set of test maneuvers in the sky, before landing at an airport in Rizhao, Shandong Province. The event marked the success of the AG600's first sea-based test flight, the aircraft's developer Aviation Industry Corp of China (AVIC) said.
The AG600 conducted its land-based maiden flight in Zhuhai, South China's Guangdong Province, in December of 2017, and its first water-based test flight over a reservoir in Jingmen, Central China's Hubei Province in October of 2018.
Analysts said the aircraft's potential deployment in the South China Sea will enhance China's ability to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, as its future presence would contribute to China's civil administration practice in the region, and help in search and rescue missions for those in need from other countries in a move that shows China's image as a responsible major country.
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