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http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-42471045
The world's largest amphibious aircraft, China's AG600, has made a successful one-hour maiden flight.
The plane, roughly the size of a Boeing 737 but with four turboprop engines, lifted off from Zhuhai airport in the southern province of Guangdong.
The plane can carry 50 people and can stay airborne for 12 hours.
It has firefighting and marine rescue duties but also military applications, which could be put to use in the disputed South China Sea region. The AG600, codenamed Kunlong, can reach the southernmost edge of China's territorial claims in the area.
State media Xinhua described the plane as "protector spirit of the sea, islands and reefs".
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World's Largest Amphibious Plane in Production Takes Flight in China
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(Score: 4, Interesting) by deadstick on Monday December 25 2017, @10:42PM (1 child)
Not all that big. A seaplane can be landed on the open sea, but it's strictly an emergency procedure, even with the largest ones. For normal operation you need protected water.
Historical example: The survivors of the USS Indianapolis sinking were spotted by a landplane, which dropped a few supplies and directed a PBY seaplane to the site. It landed, but had no chance of taking off, instead acting as a big life raft until a surface ship could get there. The airplane was then sunk by gunfire.
There were exceptions: WW2 battleships were equipped with small seaplanes that could be catapulted off the stern for reconnaissance. On their return, the ship would make a hard, high-speed turn and sweep out a patch of relatively calm water for them to land on. Didn't see much use in wartime, having been supplanted by carrier-based aircraft.
(Score: 2) by nitehawk214 on Tuesday December 26 2017, @03:20AM
I think the idea is to create more artificial harbors in the South China Sea.
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