Xi’an, China — China’s domestically developed MA60 civil search and rescue aircraft has successfully completed its inaugural flight, marking a significant milestone in enhancing the nation’s maritime emergency response capabilities.
The Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), the country’s leading aircraft manufacturer, announced that the aircraft took to the skies and completed its designated daytime validation tasks during a flight lasting one hour and 20 minutes. The successful landing occurred at an airport in Xi’an, the capital of northwest China’s Shaanxi Province.
This new aircraft is a specialized addition to the MA60 “Modern Ark” multipurpose family, designed to address longstanding challenges in China’s maritime search and rescue operations, such as slow response times and limited search coverage over vast and complex environments.
“This aircraft is engineered to provide comprehensive search and rescue, on-site assessment, and personnel transportation capabilities,” AVIC experts explained. “It is capable of executing missions over oceans, in high-altitude regions, and at disaster sites like earthquakes and floods, offering broad application scenarios.”
The introduction of this specialized aircraft is expected to significantly enhance the Chinese mainland’s maritime search and rescue capabilities, greatly improving response speed and operational coverage. AVIC stated that it represents a leap forward in the nation’s airborne search and rescue equipment, further bolstering China’s maritime emergency response system.
The development program for the aircraft was formally launched in December 2021. Major component production and delivery were completed in December 2022, followed by final assembly and delivery in May 2023.
