AG600M begins type certificate testing
China’s AG600M large amphibious firefighting aircraft has entered the airworthiness flight-test stage
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.
Oliver Cuenca
Oliver Cuenca is a Junior Editor at the Voyageur Group. He was previously a News and Features Journalist for the rail magazine IRJ until 2021, and studied MA Magazine Journalism at Cardiff University. His favourite helicopter is the AW169 – the workhorse of the UK air ambulance sector! He also led the creation of Waypoint: The AirMed&Rescue podcast, serving as its Production Editor and co-host.