BEIJING - China has completed production of the world's largest amphibious aircraft, state media has said, the latest effort in the country's program to wean itself off dependence on foreign aviation firms. Despite a history of delays and problems, China's aviation industry has made rapid progress in the last year. It is regarded as by far the largest seaplane ever built although it only ever made one flight, in 1947. The aircraft, which has a maximum range of 4,500 km (2,800 miles), is intended for fighting forest fires and performing marine rescues, it said. It rolled out the C919, China's first domestically developed narrow-body passenger plane, in November last year.

Source: Bangkok Post July 24, 2016 10:41 UTC