China's independently developed AG600 large amphibious aircraft succeeded in its first flight over sea on Sunday morning in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province.
The aircraft took off from the sea off Qingdao at 10:18 and completed the test flight after flying for about 31 minutes, said state-owned plane-maker Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC).
"The weather is not bad today. The aircraft also performed well and completed the test flight over sea smoothly," said Zhao Sheng, captain of the AG600 amphibious aircraft.
The successful first flight from the sea is a major step forward in the development of this large amphibious aircraft following its maiden flight in 2017 and first takeoff from a water reservoir in 2018, said the AVIC.
Codenamed "Kunlong," the AG600 was developed by China's state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation (AVIC) for both fire extinction and water rescue. Its development represents a Chinese breakthrough in this field.
China-developed AG600 amphibious aircraft succeeds in first flight over sea in Qingdao
