CCG inducts first MA60 patrol aircraft
The first MA60H maritime patrol aircraft entered service with the China Coast Guard (CCG) during a formal ceremony on 19 June.
The aircraft will be operated by the South Sea Bureau of the CCG, meaning it will spend a considerable amount of time patrolling the disputed South China Sea. It will be based at the newly opened Qionghai Bo’ao Airport on Hainan Island on the periphery of the sea.
The MA60H is a maritime patrol variant of the vanilla twin-turboprop airliner built by the Xi’an Aircraft Industries Company (XAC). It boasts a surveillance radar mounted under the fuselage, plus a
Our news & analysis is now part of Defence Insight®
A Basic-level or higher Defence Insight subscription is now required to view this content.
More from Naval Warfare
-
UK’s Type 31 frigate balances cost pressure with long-term export ambition
The UK shipbuilder’s full-year results to the end of March revealed the impact of the £140 million charge linked to design changes and rework on the Royal Navy’s Type 31 frigate programme.
-
US Navy expands non-standard acquisitions to rapidly field emerging technologies
The US Navy is increasing the use of OTA obligations to accelerate the procurement of seabed-subsea, littoral, expeditionary and uncrewed solutions.
-
Can Portugal solve NATO’s uncrewed systems development challenge?
NATO has spent more than a decade building one of the world’s most sophisticated maritime uncrewed experimentation ecosystems, but still lacks a way to translate this testing into alliance-wide operational capability. Portugal now believes it has the answer.
-
Eurosatory 2026: Schiebel’s frigate-first strategy indicates a shift in UAV competition
Schiebel is pursuing opportunities in the UK and France while leveraging its integration with Naval Group’s FDI frigate programme to create new naval business across Europe.