AG600“鯤龍”
A new series of China's turboprop-propelled amphibious aircraft, the Jiaolong, meaning "flood dragon" in Mandarin, will ascend from water in its maiden offshore flight in the second half of the year, its developer the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) announced this weekend.
中國航空工業股份有限公司(AVIC)本週宣佈，中國新推出的一款渦輪螺旋槳推進兩棲飛機——"鯤龍"（編者按：英文是蛟龍，據小編核實應為鯤龍），將在今年下半年的首次海上飛行中完成首航。
Coded AG600, the Jiaolong, the largest plane of its kind worldwide, features four turboprop engines riveted on to a 40-meter wingspan as well as a chubby fuselage capable of housing 50 passengers and three pilots. It has a range of 5,500 kilometers at a cruising speed of 480km/h.
這款名為"鯤龍"的飛機是世界上最大的飛機，它的代號為AG600，有四架渦輪螺旋槳發動機，它的翼展可達40米，機身也能容納50名乘客和3名飛行員。它的巡航速度為5500公里，巡航速度為480km/h。
The Jiaolong, roughly the size of a Boeing 737 airliner, took to the sky from Zhuhai Airport in Guangdong province at the end of last year and is now scheduled to wait in a reservoir in Jingmen in central China's Hubei province for its maiden waterborne takeoff.
去年年底，差不多相當於一架波音737客機的大小的鯤龍在廣東珠海機場試飛。目前中國計劃在中部湖北省荊門的一個水庫中等待它的首次水上飛行。
The AVIC said that of the 50,000 parts used in the Jiaolong, 98% had been sourced domestically.
中航集團表示，在組成鯤龍的5萬個部件中，98%都來自於中國國內。
The state-owned aviation juggernaut also said that when deployed in firefighting operations, the water-bomber variant of the Jiaolong could suck up 12 tons of water within 20 seconds and subsequently drop water and fire retardant within a radius of 1,600km.
有關部門表示，在部署在滅火行動中，"鯤龍"的"變形水彈"可以在20秒內吸收12噸的水，然後在1600公里的範圍內投放水和阻燃劑。
New Zealand and Malaysia have expressed interest in procuring the versatile jumbo flying boat, according to the People's Daily.
據《人民日報》報道，新西蘭和馬來西亞已表示有興趣購買這艘多用途的大型飛艇。
The paper's sister publication, the Global Times, also revealed earlier that from the city of Sanya, on the southern tip of Hainan island, the seaplane could reach any location in the South China Sea within four hours.
該報的姊妹刊物《環球時報》(The Global Times)早些時候也透露，在海南島南端的三亞，這款水上飛機可以在4小時內到達南中國海的任何位置。
Some analysts believe that other than maritime rescue and firefighting missions, the Jiaolong will soon begin strutting its stuff delivering personnel and materiel now that it can land in any part of the South China Sea, either on reclaimed airstrips or offshore.
一些分析人士認為，除了海上救援和救火任務之外，"鯤龍"號還將很快開始在中國南海的任何地方，無論是在再生的跑道上，還是在海上，都能在任何地方部署人員和物資。
Its impressive airlift capabilities and extra maneuverability can assist military deployment and Beijing's still-frenzied island-building in that sea.
它令人印象深刻的空運能力和額外的機動性可以協助北京仍在瘋狂的軍事部署和島嶼建設。
This article originally appeared on Asia Times.
這篇文章最初出現在《亞洲時報》上。
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