Independently-developed firefighting aircraft delivered in Xi'an

Two MA60 firefighting aircraft, independently developed and designed by the Aviation Industry Corporation of China, were officially delivered to the Ministry of Emergency Management in Xi'an, capital of Northwest China's Shaanxi province, on Aug 26.

The MA60 firefighting aircraft is a medium-sized, fixed-wing emergency rescue plane with independent intellectual property rights. It has a maximum water capacity of 6 metric tons, can transport up to 28 people, and carries a maximum cargo weight of 3.7 tons.

It integrates functions such as water-dropping, fire monitoring, communications and command, and personnel and supply transportation, giving It advantages for rapid response operations in complex terrains.

According to Miao Zhimin, the aircraft's chief designer, the project team has innovated a fire situation awareness system and an auxiliary precise delivery system since development began in 2021. They have also made breakthroughs with core technologies, such as designing aerodynamic properties for stable water-dropping and pressure tank water-dropping systems.

In October 2023 and March 2024, under the deployment of the Ministry of Emergency Management, the aircraft completed aviation emergency rescue exercises and firefighting research tasks in Yajiang, Sichuan province, gaining valuable practical experience for future emergency rescue missions.