China's first home-made large amphibious aircraft completes maiden flight

China's first home-grown large amphibious aircraft AG600 on Sunday completed its maiden flight in south China's Guangdong Province

At 9:39 a.m., the aircraft AG600, code named "Kunlong," successfully soared into the sky from the Jinwan Civil Aviation Airport in the city of Zhuhai. The flight lasted about one hour.

"Its successful maiden flight makes China among the world's few countries capable of developing a large amphibious aircraft," said Huang Lingcai, chief designer of AG600.

The aircraft, powered by four domestically-built turboprop engines, has a 39.6-meter-long fuselage and a 38.8-meter wingspan, said its developer, the state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC).

According to the AVIC source, the amphibious aircraft, with a maximum take-off weight of 53.5 tonnes and a top cruising speed of 500 kilometers per hour, can fly for 12 hours at a time.

It is believed to be the world's largest amphibious aircraft.