Photo: Courtesy of Aviation Industry Corporation of China

Photo: Courtesy of Aviation Industry Corporation of China

Photo: Courtesy of Aviation Industry Corporation of China

Photo: Courtesy of Aviation Industry Corporation of China

 China's first domestically made large amphibious aircraft AG600 successfully made its first water-based test flight Saturday morning in Jingmen, Central China's Hubei Province, with experts expecting the aircraft to cover the entire South China Sea in the future with its far-reaching rescue and monitoring capabilities.

The aircraft lifted off from the water of Jingmen's Zhanghe Reservoir at 8:51 am, and landed back on to water at 9:05 am, marking the success of its first water-based test flight, according to a statement its manufacturer Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) released on Saturday.

The latest water-based test flight came after the AG600 made its land-based maiden flight in December last year.

Huang Lingcai, chief designer of the AG600, told the Global Times that the water-based test flight is much more difficult than the land-based test flight.

"The density of water is about 800 times the density of air, but the aircraft has to reach the same speed to take off on land and water, so the drag reduction function must be well-designed," Huang said, noting that the water splash also must be controlled to avoid damage to the engine and propellers.

The AG600 is capable of taking off and landing on water with waves as tall as two meters, he said.

Codenamed "Kunlong" and designed to be the world's largest amphibious aircraft, the AG600 will be mainly used for maritime rescue, fighting forest fires and marine monitoring.

The AG600 can reach further distances and travel faster than helicopters and other vessels, and is capable of covering more than 4,000 kilometers in a rescue mission. It can also carry 50 survivors or payloads of the same weight, the Global Times learned.

Being able to cover all of the South China Sea, the AG600 could also join military operations, said military experts.

It can also gather 12 tons of water either from its land base or directly from water surfaces before being deployed for firefighting missions, greatly expanding China's capability in fighting forest fires.

The AG600 is the third member of China's large aircraft family after the transport aircraft Y-20 made its maiden flight in 2013 and the passenger aircraft C919 made its maiden flight in 2017.

AVIC said it is aiming to deliver the AG600 by 2022, the Xinhua News Agency reported in May.