Aircraft
China Flies AG600 from the Sea, Suggests Assault Ship Could Operate Aircraft
The successor to the Harbin SH-5 amphibian in People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) service is making progress toward service entry.
The AG600 is seen during its first flight from sea waters near Qingdao. (Photo: AVIC)
The AG600 is seen during its first flight from sea waters near Qingdao. (Photo: AVIC)

More than 30 months after its first flight, the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) AG600 Kunlong seaplane made its first ocean flight in the waters off the city of Qingdao on July 26. Though the test flight was conducted in relatively calm waters, AVIC said, it was technically more challenging than the October 2018 flight from a freshwater lake in Jingmen due to the salinity of the waters. Deliveries for the world’s largest amphibian are expected to begin in 2022.