The Chinese state-owned aviation company AVIC successfully conducted ground tests of the world's largest amphibian aircraft - the AG600 Jiaolong, - writes "Popular Mechanics". Seaplane AG600 Jiaolong, or "Water Dragon", the Chinese call the world's largest among their kind. In fact, back in 1986, in the USSR, a military antisubmarine A-40 amphibian was built in two copies, on the basis of which a civilian Be-200 aircraft was later developed. In terms of the length of the fuselage (45.7 meters), the wingspan (42.5 meters) and the take-off weight (86 tons), the A-40 is clearly superior to the Chinese AG600. True, it was never adopted, and the project was closed, although recently there have been rumors that the A-40 can still be brought to serial production and adoption of the Russian Navy after 2020. Anyway, the Chinese plane is slightly smaller than the Soviet one - the length of the "Water Dragon" is 37 meters, the wingspan is 39 meters, and the take-off weight reaches 53.5 tons. But, it is necessary to give the Chinese their due, the AG600 is almost serial.

According to the manufacturer, a seaplane equipped with four turboprop engines WJ-6 will be able to fly at a distance of up to five thousand kilometers at a speed of up to 570 km / h and transport up to 50 people. During the ground tests, Jiaolong performed a series of runs at the test airport in Zhuhai City. China intends to use the AG600 for patrolling and landing troops, in search and rescue operations and for extinguishing fires.

Original article: The Chinese "walked" the world's largest seaplane (video).