AG600M begins type certificate testing

Two of the fixed-wing aircraft were delivered to the China Flight Test Establishment in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, on  1 February, where they will begin flight tests to obtain a type certificate from the Civil Aviation Administration of China.

A report by China.org.cn says the aircraft will ‘receive modifications to conduct the flight test subjects’ at the flight test center, while ‘various test works, including the static test … have also been initiated’.

The aircraft, which comes in both ‘firefighting’ and ‘rescue’ variants, is intended to meet the growing needs of China’s emergency rescue response, and is part of the country’s plans to create a ‘national disaster prevention and control system’.

AVIC completed its first test flight of the firefighting AG600M in June 2022.