By LIN Yuchen

The AG600 "Kunlong," the world's largest civil amphibious aircraft developed by China, has received its production certificate from the Civil Aviation Administration of China, marking the beginning of its mass production. This milestone signifies a major advancement in China's emergency response aviation capabilities.

▲ This photo taken on June 11, 2025 shows the first mass-produced AG600 aircraft at AVIC General Huanan Aircraft Industry Co., Ltd. in Zhuhai, south China's Guangdong Province. (PHOTO: XINHUA)

The AG600, with a maximum takeoff weight of 60 tonnes and a wingspan comparable to a Boeing 737, is designed for critical missions including forest firefighting, maritime rescue, and aerial patrol.

A versatile workhorse guardian

The AG600 is engineered to respond rapidly to real-world emergencies. In firefighting mode, it can scoop up 12 tonnes of water in 20 seconds and discharge it over 4,000 square meters—equivalent to 10 basketball courts—in a single pass, achieving what would take hundreds of ground personnel hours to complete.

For maritime rescue, the aircraft boasts a range of 4,500 km and can carry up to 50 survivors per mission, significantly outperforming conventional vessels in response speed. It is capable of low-altitude search operations and surface rescues even in harsh conditions, including wave heights of up to two meters.

A sky-sea hybrid engineering marvel

The key challenge in developing the AG600 lay in integrating aerodynamic and hydrodynamic performance. The lower fuselage features a V-shaped hull design, while a streamlined fairing wraps around the retracted main landing gear to reduce drag.

To address lateral-directional instability caused by airflow interference between the wing and fairing, engineers added a flow diverting device beneath the wing, effectively splitting the airflow and enhancing flight stability.

Over three years of development, the team conducted more than 30,000 wind tunnel and hydrodynamic tests, validating the complex integration of air and sea performance—a foundational achievement for the aircraft’s success.

Shaping the future of global aviation

The AG600 represents 15 years of sustained engineering effort, progressing from concept to certification through key milestones: its first land-based flight in 2017, successful water takeoffs in 2018, and offshore trials in 2020.

Large amphibious aircraft are high-tech strategic assets, previously developed only by a few nations such as Russia (Beriev Be-200) and Japan (ShinMaywa US-2). The AG600 breaks long-standing technological monopolies, strengthening China’s position in the global aviation sector.

According to China Economic News, potential international buyers—including Vietnam and Australia—have shown interest. Customized configurations are expected to expand its global market footprint.

As the AG600 enters mass production and operational deployment, it will not only serve China’s emergency response needs but also contribute Chinese solutions to global safety, environmental protection, and sustainable development.

Editor | SONG Ziyan
Supervisor | FANG Linlin