中国自研、世界最大的水陆两栖飞机AG600“鲲龙”首飞成功 可上天下海！

China’s home-grown AG600, the world’s largest amphibious aircraft in production, took to the skies on Sunday for its maiden flight.

世界上最大的水陆两栖飞机、中国国产的AG600，于周日完成首次飞行。

The plane, codenamed "Kunlong" according to state news agency Xinhua, took off from the southern city of Zhuhai and landed after roughly an hour-long flight.

据国家新闻媒体新华社报道，这架代号为“鲲龙”的飞机从中国南方的珠海市起飞，飞行约一小时后安全着陆。

With a wingspan of 38.8 metres (127 feet) and powered by four turboprop engines, the aircraft is capable of carrying 50 people and can stay airborne for 12 hours.

这架飞机的翼展为38.8米(127英尺)，由四架涡轮螺旋桨发动机提供动力，能够携带50人，最大航时12小时。

"Its successful maiden flight makes China among the world’s few countries capable of developing a large amphibious aircraft," chief designer Huang Lingcai told Xinhua.

AG600总设计师黄领才告诉新华社：“它的成功首飞使得中国跻身世界少数能够开发大型两栖飞机的国家之列。”

The amphibious aircraft has military applications but will be used for firefighting and marine rescue, with at least 17 orders placed so far with state-owned manufacturer Aviation Industry Corp of China, state media reported.

据中国官方媒体报道，这架两栖飞机有军事用途，不过仅会用于灭火和水上救援。目前中国国有企业航空工业集团公司已接到了至少17个订单。

While it is around the size of a Boeing 737, the AG600 is considerably smaller than billionaire Howard Hughes’ flying boat, better known as the Spruce Goose, which had a wingspan of 97 metres and a length of 67 metres but only made one brief flight, in 1947.

AG600的大小与波音737相当，比亿万富翁霍华德.休斯的、被称为“云杉鹅”的飞行船要小得多。这只“云杉鹅”的翼展97米，机身长67米，不过只在1947年进行过一次短暂的飞行。

The AG600’s flight capabilities put all of China’s island-building projects in the South China Sea well within range.

AG600的航程覆盖了中国在南海的所有岛屿建设项目。

"Its 4,500-km operational range and ability to land and take off from water makes it well-suited for deployment over China’s artificial islands," said James Char, a military analyst at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University.

新加坡南洋理工大学军事分析人士詹姆斯.查尔说：“其最大航程4500公里，能在水面起降，这使得它非常适合在中国的人工岛上空进行部署。”

The aircraft can fly to the southernmost edge of China’s territorial claims -- the James Shoal -- in just four hours from the southern city of Sanya, state-owned Global Times reported.

AG600由南方的三亚机场起飞，在4小时内就可飞抵中国领土的最南端——曾母暗沙，据国家媒体环球时报报道。

"The plane’s capacity and maneuverability makes it ideal for transporting materiel to those maritime features that are too structurally fragile to support runways," Char said.

查尔还说：“该飞机的载重量和机动性使它成为运输物资到人工岛上的理想之选，一些人工岛在结构上过于脆弱，无法支持飞机跑道。”

The launch of the new amphibious aircraft further strengthens China’s rapidly modernising military.

这架全新的两栖飞机的试飞进一步增强了中国快速发展的现代化军事力量。