On the right path
In April of this year, Xinhua reported that China's new AG600 Jiaolong aircraft has passed another important milestone on the path to its full-fledged birth. For the first time, the machine made a series of flights over the sea surface. This is not the first flight over water. In October 2018, a seaplane successfully took off from the water surface and landed on it: then tests were carried out on the freshwater reservoir of the Zhanghe River in Hubei province. Recall that the car performed its first flight back in 2017, taking off from Zhuhai airport.
Speaking specifically about recent marine tests, they have fundamental differences from earlier tests. The tests assess the impact of the marine environment on the airframe of the machine and the operation of its systems. This phase of testing is intended to prepare the AG600 for the next, even more important. Namely - for takeoff and landing in sea conditions. There is not so long to wait: if everything goes as the Chinese plan, then the first such tests will take place before the end of 2020.
The history of this aircraft began back in 2009: it was then that the specialists of the China Aircraft Building Corporation (AVIC) began work on the creation of the aircraft. 150 institutes and research centers and 70 enterprises of Chinese industry were involved in the development and production of AG600. About three billion yuan (more than $ 440 million) was invested in the development: not a little, but not a lot by the standards of modern aircraft construction. The first prototype rolled off the assembly line in 2016.
The Chinese traditionally have ambitious plans. The machine should become a real "workhorse", performing a variety of tasks: extinguishing fires, conducting search and rescue operations, delivering goods, and so on. The Chinese expect to use it both for peaceful purposes and for the needs of the People's Liberation Army. There the plane is seen as a patrol flying boat.
The length of the aircraft is 37 meters, the wingspan is 38, 8. De facto, this is the largest seaplane of all existing in our time. It is pertinent, however, to say that the Soviet A-40 Albatross was larger: it had a length of 45, 70 meters and a wingspan of 42, 50. Well, the largest amphibious aircraft of all time is the famous Hughes H-4 Hercules.
The "Chinese" boasts impressive performance. The maximum takeoff weight of the AG600 is 53.5 tons, and the duration of stay in the air can reach twelve hours. According to data from open sources, the plane can collect twelve tons of water in twenty seconds. Four WJ-6 turboprop engines allow it to fly at speeds up to 570 kilometers per hour.
Three heroes
As you can see, the program is developing, and the pace of development deserves respect. One involuntarily suggests itself not the most pleasant comparison with the Be-200 amphibious aircraft, which began to be developed in the early 90s and which made its first flight back in 1998. Despite the increased attention to the project from the authorities and the media, today a little more than a dozen of these machines have been produced, which, of course, is a very modest figure. However, the economic potential of Russia and China is fundamentally different, and this should not be forgotten either.
In general, the Chinese approach issues related to the development of aircraft construction in a comprehensive manner and on a large scale. The AG600 is only part of a program to create fundamentally new winged aircraft. In addition to Jiaolong itself, the three large aircraft to be implemented in this area include the military transport aircraft Y-20 and the passenger C919. This, of course, is not all that China wants to get in the coming years.
It is pertinent to recall that back in 2017, the PRC Air Force officially armed itself with a fifth-generation J-20 fighter, and now an unobtrusive Xian H-20 strategic bomber is on its way (probably a direct analogue of the American B-2). Thus, the total number of key projects for the Chinese aircraft industry can be increased to five, although there is still a very important Russian-Chinese project for the wide-body CR929 passenger aircraft. But this is not the immediate future.
For the future
There is no doubt that the Celestial Empire will have the time, desire and opportunities to implement not only them, but also many other aviation projects. Another question is whether there will be global demand for them. As economists note, in the modern world there is no problem to produce anything, but there is a big problem to sell the produced goods. And if you don't have to worry about the fate of the passenger C919 (Chinese companies have already made orders for hundreds of such cars), then in the case of the AG600, everything is far from being so rosy.
Despite their broad functionality, the market may not need many of these machines. Earlier it became known that China Aviation Industry General Aircraft received orders for seventeen new seaplanes. Signing even one major international contract will be a great success.
But competitors are not asleep. Japan lifted a ban on the export of military equipment and dual-use products a few years ago. And the Shin Maiwa company, in turn, received permission from the Ministry of Defense to export the new ShinMaywa US-2 amphibious aircraft, the tasks for which overlap with the tasks of the AG600 and the Russian Be-200. At the same time, US-2 is already in operation - it is used by the Maritime Self-Defense Forces.
It is noteworthy that it is the Asian market that the Japanese are most actively exploring (which, of course, is quite logical). Earlier, US-2 won an Indian tender for the delivery of fifteen new aircraft. Indonesia is also interested in the four-engine "Japanese".
And what about Russia? It is obvious that, despite all the difficulties, the Be-200 will continue to be built. Recall that on February 14, the Be-200ES aircraft, built for the Ministry of Defense, took off for the first time in Taganrog. The total number of cars to be delivered under the contract renewed in 2018 is three.
And in September last year it became known that Russia would try to again become a manufacturer of the largest seaplanes, challenging the PRC: as it became known then, the Russian Defense Ministry decided to resume the project to develop the Albatross amphibious aircraft. “After the refinement, the device will receive modern means of detecting submarines, and this will significantly expand its combat capabilities,” said then the former chief of the Main Staff of the Navy, Admiral Valentin Selivanov. - Mostly aircraft of this type are designed to operate in the coastal seas, including the Baltic, Black, Barents and Japanese. The Albatross is equipped with a range of submarine detection equipment. For example, it can drop and remotely install special buoys and other devices that help detect the enemy."
Of course, it's good to have Napoleonic plans. But it is even better when there are opportunities for their implementation. In spite of all the difficulties described above, China has them.
