Aviation Industry Corporation of China is to build a large amphibious aircraft for firefighting and rescue missions.
The machine will be a four-engined propeller aircraft able to touch down on land and water. It will primarily be used for firefighting as well as search and rescue missions, says an official from AVIC General Aircraft official, the division responsible for the project. The official says it has the approval of China's ministry of industry and information to build an aircraft "as large as a Boeing 737".
AVIC officials said in September 2007 that the Chinese government was looking to get AVIC to build a four-engine amphibious aircraft with a take-off weight of 60t.
The August 2007 forest fires in Greece had been the catalyst for the initial study.
But the latest push came about because of last May's Sichuan earthquake.
"China is a large country with a lot of natural disasters, so there is a need for such an aircraft", says the AVIC General Aircraft official.
"A lot of people domestically and overseas put forward suggestions to the Chinese government and last year's Sichuan earthquake pushed the government to make a decision to make this aircraft," the official adds.
Source: Flight International
