It’s a Sea Monster!

China has completed production of the world’s largest amphibious aircraft which will be used to fight forest fires and perform marine rescues.

The aircraft, dubbed the AG600, is around the size of a Boeing 737 – far larger than any other plane built to take off and land on water.

It has a maximum flight range of 2,800 miles and can collect 12 tonnes of water in 20 seconds. Its maximum take-off weight of 53.5 tonnes.

The state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China unveiled the first of the new planes on Saturday in the southern port city of Zhuhai.

Howard Hughes and the ... Graham M. Simons Best Price: $14.84 Buy New $21.38 (as of 07:20 UTC - Details) The production is the latest effort in the country’s program to wean itself off dependence on foreign aviation firms.

Before the AG600, the largest amphibious cast was the H-4 Hercules, known as the Spruce Goose, which was designed in the 1940s to carry Allied troops into battle.

It is regarded as by far the largest seaplane ever built although it only ever made one flight in 1947. Its wingspan is still longer than the AG600’s.

The Chinese plane, which is targeted at the domestic market, will be ‘very useful in developing and exploiting marine resources,’ local media reported, adding that it could be used for ‘environmental monitoring, resource detection and transportation’.

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AVIC deputy general manager, Geng Rugang, said the plane was ‘the latest breakthrough in China’s aviation industry.’ A plan for the development and production of the AG600 received government approval in 2009.

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