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The AG600, which
is about the size of a Boeing 737 and was developed by state
aircraft maker Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC),
rolled off a production line in the southern city of Zhuhai on
Saturday, Xinhua said quoting the firm.
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.
The aircraft has a maximum flight range of 4,500 km and can
collect 12 tonnes of water in 20 seconds. It has a maximum
take-off weight of 53.5 tonnes, Xinhua said.
China has been ramping up research into advanced new military
equipment, including submarines, aircraft carriers and
anti-satellite missiles, which has rattled nerves regionally and
in Washington as China takes a more muscular approach to
territorial disputes in places like the South China Sea.
In June, it put into service a new domestically-developed large
transport aircraft.
(Reporting by Brenda Goh Editing by Jeremy Gaunt.)
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