The AG600M model performed its first land-based test flight in Zhuhai, Guangdong province, in late May. It carried out its first water-based test flight in Jingmen in late August.

It has a maximum takeoff weight of 60 metric tons. In a typical firefighting operation, it will collect 12 tons of water from a lake or sea within 20 seconds and use it to douse blazes over an area of about 4,000 square meters, said designers.

The airworthiness certification work will begin in 2024, while the initial deliveries are expected to start before 2025, according to AVIC.

The original model — the AG600 — is China's second amphibious aircraft model, after the SH-5, which was developed in the 1970s for military purposes and has long since been retired from service.

With a length of 37 meters and a wingspan of 38.8 meters, the AG600 is roughly the size of a Boeing 737. These specifications make it the world's biggest amphibious aircraft, surpassing Japan's ShinMaywa US-2 and Russia's Beriev Be-200.