China's water dragon takes to the air
China’s first large-scale amphibious aircraft took its maiden flight from the Jinwan Civil Aviation Airport, Zhuhai, in China’s southern Guangdong Province on 24 December .
The AG600 Jiaolong (Water Dragon) is now the largest amphibious aircraft available in the world. Powered by four WJ-6 turboprop engines, the China Aviation Industry General Aircraft Company (CAIGA) also builds smaller seaplanes such as the ‘A2 Flying Swallow on Water Haiou’ and HO300 light amphibious aircraft.
‘We can expect continued Chinese investment in ever-larger amphibious and wing-in-ground effect (WIG) aircraft,’ said Richard Fisher, a senior fellow at the Washington-based International Assessment and Strategy Center.
Already have an account? Log in
Want to keep reading this article?
More from Defence Notes
-
![Companies post mostly rosy results but warn of potential dark clouds]()
Companies post mostly rosy results but warn of potential dark clouds
First quarter 2025 results have been dropping for companies in the past week but many of the US results come with a health warning in their forward-looking aspects about the potential impact of actions by the Trump administration.
-
![Spain unveils new multi-billion euro defence investment plan]()
Spain unveils new multi-billion euro defence investment plan
The new plan outlined how Spain would reach 2% of its GDP spend on defence by 2025, with €1.9 billion earmarked for new equipment acquisition with several land, naval and air platforms disclosed to be replaced or upgraded.
-
![New Zealand boosts defence spend to US$6.6 billion and vows increased closeness with Australia]()
New Zealand boosts defence spend to US$6.6 billion and vows increased closeness with Australia
This budget will be spent over the next four years and nearly doubles the country’s defence spending as part of GDP to 2%.
-
![UK Chancellor commits £2 billion to make the country a “defence industrial superpower”]()
UK Chancellor commits £2 billion to make the country a “defence industrial superpower”
Rachel Reeves announced port upgrades, protected budgets for innovation and investment in novel technologies.
-
![Avalon 2025: Australian defence budget meets the low expectations of show attendees]()
Avalon 2025: Australian defence budget meets the low expectations of show attendees
The Australian Budget was marked by tax cuts and a looming general election which led to little hope that there would be a substantial defence boost even with a big bill for nuclear submarines due.
-
![Launch of Gilat Defense targets DoD market]()
Launch of Gilat Defense targets DoD market
The communications company Gilat launched its new Gilat Defense division at the Satellite 2025 expo, with future solutions aimed at US military customers.
