Multipurpose helicopter makes debut flight in Jiangxi

The AC313A, a heavy-lift, multipurpose helicopter developed by Aviation Industry Corp of China, conducted its debut flight in Jiangxi province on Tuesday morning, according to AVIC.

The State-owned aircraft conglomerate said in a release that the test flight took place at the Lyumeng Airport — which is owned by the AVIC Changhe Aircraft Industry — in Jingdezhen and lasted about 22 minutes.

The helicopter will soon carry out more test flights and begin its airworthiness certification process, the company said.

Designed by the China Helicopter Research and Development Institute, the AC313A is 19.3 meters long and 4.4 meters wide, and it has a maximum takeoff weight of 13.8 metric tons.