China's AG600M Amphibious Aircraft Clears Cold-weather Flight Tests

China's state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) has announced that the homegrown AG600M aircraft, a firefighting model belonging to the AG600 large amphibious aircraft family, has completed its cold-weather flight tests.

Two AG600M large amphibious airplanes completed the cold-weather flight test mission at an airport in Hailar District of Hulunbuir in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, AVIC said Monday.

Lasting around two weeks, this round of flight tests was carried out in a cold environment with temperatures ranging from minus 20 degrees Celsius to minus 40 degrees Celsius, which presented a challenging setting to assess the aircraft's performance under low temperatures, frost and freezing conditions.

The cold-weather flight tests verified the functions and performance of the AG600M aircraft's major systems, such as power, fuel, flight control and avionics, in cold environments, the developer said, adding that the tests also assessed the aircraft's maintainability in low temperature.