China has started production on the world's largest seaplane. Known in China as the Jiaolong, or Water Dragon, the AG-600 is built by Chinese aviation giant AVIC, who held ceremony to start up the aircraft assembly line on July 23.

The AG-600 is much larger than its predecessor, the Harbin SH-5 flying boat, which was introduced in 1986. It has a wingspan of 121 feet and a maximum takeoff weight of 53.6 tons. According to Chinese state media, it's as large as an Airbus 320 or Boeing 737. The plane uses four WJ-6 turboprop engines descended from a 1950s-era engine designed by the Soviet Union. It has a range of 3,100 miles and can stay in the air for up to 12 hours.

The amphibious seaplane can take off and land from both water and hard ground. It features a boat-like hull for taking off and landing from water and a conventional tricycle-style set of landing gear for operating from conventional land airstrip.

According to Xinhua, the AG600 will be used for seaborne search and rescue. It will be equipped with infrared sensors and optical cameras for searching vast stretches of ocean, and built-in emergency medical facilities for treating survivors. It can rescue up to 50 people at a time.

The plane is also meant for firefighting. Landing in water, it can collect 12 tons of water in 20 seconds, dumping it on forest fires.

Unlike its predecessor, the AG-600's resume doesn't include anti-submarine warfare. At least, officially. China appears to be deliberately downplaying the military side of the seaplane. Aside from hunting submarines, performing reconnaissance and rescuing downed aircrews, the plane could also be used to resupply China's remote military bases on contested islands in the South China Sea.

AVIC has 17 orders so far, and expects the plane to appeal mostly to the domestic market. Few countries still build seaplanes, although Japan recently came out with the US-2. The Indian military plans to buy twelve US-2s for operating across the vast Indian Ocean.

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