QINGDAO, July 26 -- China's indigenously-developed AG600 large amphibious aircraft succeeded in its maiden flight over sea on Sunday morning in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, its developer announced.

The aircraft took off from the sea off Qingdao at 10:18 a.m. and completed the test flight after flying for about 31 minutes, said state-owned plane-maker Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC).

The successful maiden 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.

SPECIAL MISSIONS

The successful maiden flight paved the way for the aircraft to undergo the following phases of test flights over sea and verification of its performance as an amphibious aircraft.

The AG600, together with the Y-20 large transporter and C919 single-aisle passenger airplane, is part of China's key project of independently-developed "large aircraft family."

Codenamed Kunlong, the AG600 is a key aeronautical equipment in China's emergency rescue system, said the AVIC.

The AG600 is designed to meet the country's demands for forest firefighting, marine rescue and other critical emergency rescue missions.

It is also the first time that China's aviation industry has developed a special-mission large civil aircraft model.

To prepare for the maiden sea takeoff, the AVIC completed multiple test flights over sea so that crew members could become familiar with the air and marine environment, according to the developer.

【国内英语资讯:China flies AG600 large amphibious aircraft from sea】相关文章：

★ 孟加拉制衣厂大火引发街头抗议

★ 美国共和党的新路在何方？

★ 《暮光4（下）》再度领跑北美周末票房榜

★ 日美将检讨防卫合作指导方针

★ 标普将英国评级展望调为“负面”

★ 纺锤、梭子和针故事

★ 迎新年英语手抄报：美国人的新年计划TOP10

★ 海尔柯贝斯2

★ 在亚洲欢度圣诞的首选之地

★ 中国投资者收购国际米兰部分股权