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Strategic Milestone Achieved
China has reached a significant milestone in military aviation with the mass production of the AG600 “Kunlong” amphibious aircraft. Developed by the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), the AG600 received its production certification from the Civil Aviation Administration of China in April 2025. This certification marks a turning point in China’s strategic mobility, especially in contested theaters such as the South China Sea and the Himalayan frontier. With major airframe components—including the middle fuselage and wing sections—delivered to the Zhuhai production line in early August, the aircraft is now rapidly transitioning from development to operational readiness.
Unmatched Technical Capabilities
The AG600 is currently the world’s largest operational amphibious aircraft and reflects China’s ambition to dominate a niche domain with strategic versatility. It is designed to carry up to 50 troops or 12 tons of equipment, making it a formidable force multiplier in remote or infrastructure-deficient environments. With a range of 4,500 kilometers, it can cover vast distances in under four hours, providing quick access from bases such as Hainan Island to any point in the South China Sea.
What sets the AG600 apart is its ability to land on both water and land runways, including conditions involving waves up to two meters high. This grants the aircraft access to otherwise unreachable regions. Its dual-use capability is further enhanced by its firefighting functionality—it can scoop 12 tons of water in just 20 seconds, making it a valuable asset for both civilian and military emergency response operations.
When compared with other amphibious aircraft like Japan’s US-2 and Russia’s Be-200, the AG600 surpasses them in maximum takeoff weight and offers a broader range of military utility, including anti-submarine warfare (ASW), search and rescue (SAR), and troop transport missions.
South China Sea Power Projection
The AG600 enhances China’s capacity to reinforce and resupply artificial islands in the South China Sea without depending on fixed runways, many of which are vulnerable to surveillance or attack. This aircraft can deliver personnel and materiel directly to these outposts, effectively sustaining them under conditions where conventional air or sea logistics might fail.
Beyond logistics, the aircraft serves as a maritime enforcement platform, enabling China’s coast guard and navy to patrol disputed waters more aggressively. It is also expected to support undersea domain awareness operations by deploying sonar buoys in key passages such as the Luzon Strait, heightening China’s ability to monitor submarine activity in contested zones. By replacing or reducing reliance on slower naval transport, the AG600 significantly cuts resupply times by an estimated 70 percent.
Theater-Specific Military Advantages
In the Himalayan theater, particularly along the Line of Actual Control in Eastern Ladakh, the AG600 provides Beijing with unique tactical options. It is capable of landing on high-altitude lakes like Pangong Tso, enabling quick and unexpected troop deployments deep into contested areas. It also enhances logistics resilience by airdropping essential supplies to forward posts during harsh winters when helicopters struggle to operate effectively.
In a Taiwan Strait contingency, the aircraft offers strategic mobility for amphibious operations. Its ability to insert marine units at coastal drop zones and conduct combat search and rescue (SAR) operations in denied airspace gives the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) a vital edge. Unlike helicopters, the AG600 can perform extractions or insertions under more severe environmental and operational conditions, reinforcing PLA’s readiness for multi-domain operations.
Accelerated Production Timeline
The AG600’s development has rapidly moved from concept to deployment readiness. By 2024, AVIC passed a manufacturing conformity inspection, followed by the issuance of a production certificate in April 2025. Batch production began in June 2025, with first deliveries projected by October of the same year. China aims to have over 30 operational AG600 aircraft by 2030, distributed across the PLA Navy, Coast Guard, and various regional commands.
Regional Security Implications
The introduction of the AG600 has raised alarms across the Indo-Pacific. India, though exploring acquisitions of Japan’s US-2 aircraft, lacks a domestic counterpart, putting it at a technological disadvantage in high-altitude amphibious operations. Southeast Asian nations such as Vietnam and the Philippines face greater logistical and military pressure, especially around the Spratly Islands, where China’s ability to rapidly deploy forces and supplies may shift the tactical balance.
For the United States and its allies, the AG600 represents a novel threat to maritime dominance. Unlike traditional airlift assets, it does not require aircraft carriers or major runways, thus expanding China’s operational reach into areas traditionally considered secure by American and allied forces.
The Dual-Use Strategy
Although promoted publicly as a civil aviation innovation for disaster relief and firefighting, the AG600’s architecture is unmistakably military in design. Its modular configuration allows for rapid conversion from rescue to assault missions, supporting a variety of operations without the need for structural modification.
Its export strategy also mirrors China’s broader geopolitical calculus. Sales are likely restricted to strategic allies such as Pakistan, while being denied to rivals. The aircraft’s reach firmly places it within the “First Island Chain,” enhancing China’s strategic flexibility over Taiwan, the Senkaku Islands, and beyond.
Conclusion: Reshaping Amphibious Warfare
The AG600 “Kunlong” represents a dramatic leap in amphibious aviation capability, blending civil infrastructure with strategic military imperatives. China is now one of the few nations to master large amphibious aircraft production—an arena historically dominated by Russia and Japan. As more units are delivered, the AG600 will increasingly become a linchpin in Beijing’s maritime strategy.
Whether in fortifying islands in the South China Sea, sustaining forward posts in the Himalayas, or preparing for rapid-response missions across the Taiwan Strait, the AG600 provides China with an asymmetric advantage that is difficult to counter. It is not just a plane that can swim, nor merely a ship that can fly—it is a transformative force in the projection of power across air, land, and sea.
“The AG600 is a plane that can swim and a ship that can fly—it redefines amphibious power projection.”
— Huang Lingcai, AG600 Chief Designer
