An update on the AG600 amphibious aircraft program, May 10th, 2026

The photos below fourth production AG600 amphibious aircraft has now completed a test flight at Zhuhai Jinwan Airport May 9 2026, marking another step in China’s long‑running effort to field the world’s largest operational seaplane. 

The AG600 is China’s first large amphibious aircraft since the 1970s SH‑5, and one of the country’s three flagship “big aircraft” programs alongside the Y‑20 strategic transport and C919 airliner. Designed for maritime search and rescue, aerial firefighting, and island transport, it can reportedly rescue up to 50 people or carry “several dozen” fully armed troops over a range of roughly 4,500 km. In size, it sits in the Boeing 737 class—an unusually large platform for a flying boat.

Despite its strategic value, the AG600 has taken more than 15 years to progress from concept to near‑service. That timeline reflects the inherent difficulty of developing a large, complex, and safety‑critical amphibious aircraft. China had to rebuild design expertise not used since the SH‑5 era, meet stringent civil airworthiness standards, and validate performance across both land and open‑ocean environments. Water impact loads, hull integrity, corrosion resistance, and safe operation in higher sea states all demanded extensive testing and redesign. Regulatory oversight also tightened in recent years, adding further delays.

The program formally entered mass production on June 11, 2025 (link), with an initial output rate of five aircraft per year. While the AG600 is officially a civilian program, its utility in logistics, SAR, and rapid personnel movement makes it a natural fit for military support roles, particularly in the South China Sea, where long distances and dispersed outposts favor amphibious lift.

The AG600 is finally transitioning from a long, technically demanding development cycle into steady production, with both civilian and dual‑use implications that will matter for years to come.

 

Water is a scarce resource — and so are people. That’s exactly where ground transport drones (UGVs/NRKs) come in

Across the war in Ukraine, multiple reports now show that 50–80% of frontline resupply is drone‑based, and most of that is handled by ground transport drones. The frontline is saturated with FPV drones, and the old tactic of running supplies under cover of darkness simply doesn’t work anymore. Both sides fly drones with thermal optics, so night offers no protection. The result is a 5–20 km “kill zone” behind the front line where any manned vehicle or resupply team becomes a target. Even with high drone losses, unmanned systems are still cheaper and far safer than losing trucks or trained soldiers.

The PLA, unsurprisingly, is watching all of this very closely. Between Ukraine and the conflicts in the Middle East, China is seeing evolution of drone‑centric warfare happening at a rapid place. It’s no surprise they’ve begun deploying their own UGVs for transport roles, many now fitted with cage armor to survive FPV strikes. Access to clean drinking water is essential in peacetime; on a battlefield, it becomes a life‑or‑death logistics problem. UGV is one way to solve it without risking people.

Video Of The Day: China's new twin waterjet-powered Landing Craft Mechanized (LCM) in motion

 

Sunday, November 09, 2025

So, China now has a new class of landing craft mechanized (LCM)

The People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has quietly expanded its amphibious fleet with the introduction of a new class of twin waterjet-powered Landing Craft Mechanized (LCM). Designed to operate alongside the service’s larger amphibious platforms, the Type 071 Landing Platform Dock (LPD) and the Type 075/76 Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD).   The new craft mark a pragmatic shift in China’s approach to ship-to-shore logistics and amphibious operations. 

At 33 meters in length, the LCM matches the dimensions of the Type 726 Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC), ensuring compatibility with the well decks of both LPDs and LHDs. This deliberate standardization allows commanders flexibility in deploying either hovercraft or mechanized landing craft depending on mission requirements.

The advantages of the new LCM are evident:

• Cost efficiency: Construction is simpler and cheaper than turbine-powered LCACs.

• Ease of maintenance: Waterjet propulsion reduces upkeep compared to gas turbines.

• Cargo capacity: The LCM offers more usable space for vehicles and supplies. (see photo below)
  

• Operational practicality: Quieter and easier to handle than the notoriously loud LCAC.

Still, the LCAC retains a critical edge in speed, capable of reaching up to 80 knots, far surpassing the mechanized craft. This makes the hovercraft indispensable for rapid amphibious assaults, while the LCM provides a more economical and versatile option for sustained logistics operations.

Together, the two platforms underscore the PLAN’s evolving amphibious doctrine: balancing high-speed assault capability with reliable, cost-effective sealift to support China’s growing expeditionary capabilities.

 

 

Rare Photo Of The Day: J-15 fring GSh-30-1 30mm autocannon

If anything, the J‑15 is the least surprising case in the entire PLAAF/PLAN fighter lineup. It’s a Flanker derivative, so of course the “Flying Shark” keeps the original Russian‑pattern internal cannon. And for anyone who’s watched Chinese hardware development over the years, the pattern is familiar: China indigenizes almost everything except the basic airframe. Engines, avionics, EW suites, weapons, all eventually get replaced. But the gun? The gun, in this case, clearnly an afterthought.

The reality is that the J‑15’s autocannon is a low‑impact, low‑priority component on a platform that’s already deep into its mid‑life. It works well enough, it’s reliable well enough, and it doesn’t meaningfully affect the aircraft’s mission profile. In PLA modernization terms, that puts it near the bottom of the upgrade queue, far behind engines, sensors, datalinks, and carrier‑integration improvements.

In other words: the cannon stays because it’s good enough, and because nobody in Shenyang is losing sleep over a legacy 30 mm system on a jet whose real modernization bottlenecks lie elsewhere.

 

 

Sunday, February 22, 2026

PLAAF J-11B to J-11BG

 

A J‑11B equipped with an AESA radar and capable of carrying the advanced PL‑10 and PL‑15 air‑to‑air missiles. See Central China TV capture below

The J‑11B was the first PLAAF Flanker variant to feature fully Chinese‑developed avionics, weapon systems, and engines. Throughout the 2000s and 2010s, it formed the backbone of China’s air combat fleet, long before the J‑10, J‑16, and J‑20 entered service in significant numbers.

Even today, although the J‑11B is no longer the headline platform of the PLAAF, nearly 300 aircraft (including both J‑11A and J‑11B variants) remain in service. Upgrading these airframes to the J‑11BG standard central on AEDA radar appears to be a straightforward and logical decision for PLAAF leadership.

The PLA’s long‑standing approach to foreign military procurement is consistent: acquire systems from abroad, absorb the technology, and ultimately transition to fully indigenous solutions, one way or another.

 

 J-11B front,  J-11BG back

 

Bonus photos of J-11GBH of the PLA Naval Aviation (H=Hai or Ocean) 

 

 

OSINTEL Of The Day: A new 052DL "Extended Mod" Class Destroyer Nearing Completion At Dalian Shipyard

Photos from May 6th 2026.  Folks from the Chinese-Internet (tm) are predicting end of 2026 for this new Type052DL DDG being commissioned into the PLAN.

 

Forever Type79 9×19 mm Submachine gun

In a recently released PR video from CCTV (China Central Television), the venerable Type 79 (79式) 9×19 mm submachine gun made an unexpected cameo.  This time paired with a Cantonese‑speaking officer delivering a public‑safety message, presumably with one eye out for any kung‑fu‑fighting robocops.

Since this is a police‑issue Type 79, it naturally shows up wearing a full set of modernized accessories. An updated stock, an accessory rail, and a red‑dot‑style sight are all clearly visible.  With this kind of modest, official upgrades that keep a 1980s design limping along in 2026.

The Type 79 should have been retired years ago, yet here it is, still soldiering on, just like the Type 59 MBT, the Y‑5 transport, the CJ‑6 trainer, and a whole parade of Chinese "forever" platforms that simply refuse to disappear. 

 

Screen shot from the YouTube below 

 

Wednesday, December 18, 2024

Crazy Type79 tactical mod continues

The PAP seemed to having a fantastic fun upgrading the vintage 7.62x25mm Type79 with tactical accessories that are more expensive than the gun itself.    Why not, I don't judge.  

Friday, February 23, 2018

Photos of the day: Crazy Type79 tactical mod

While the PLA has long since gave up on the Type79 7.62x25mm Submachine Gun as a viable PDW option, this old girl seems to have found a nice niche within Chinese SWAT units.  Its complete lack of stopping power is more than compensated by its easy to use and maintain, its high rate of fire (1000 rounds/min) is a nice bonus in any urban CQC too.

Here are photos of Guangzhou City's Thunder SWAT showing off (here), one of the 36 SWAT units in this southern city of 14 million.  

 Yes, it is him.

Monday, May 30, 2011

Sexist photos of the day: Guangzhou Policewomen

Ok,  I can buy the Type79 SMG, Type92 9mm argument, but ESprit bag, Iphone and pink helmet?? Oh, come on.......really?

Pink helmet's cousin Dark helmet

3rd Transportation and SAR Brigade in CSAR Action

Since 2023, when the 3rd Transportation and SAR Brigade received three of the eighteen Russian‑exported Mi‑171Sh armed combat‑transport helicopters, the unit has carried out a string of high‑profile exercises (link), (link). The latest took place on May 30, simulating the recovery of a downed pilot in high‑altitude desert terrain.

Does that scenario sound familiar to a recent real‑world event or is it just a coincidence? Your guess is as good as mine. What is clear is that the Mi‑171Sh was imported with a very specific purpose in mind: operating in rough, high‑altitude environments where survivability and firepower matter.

The 3rd Transportation and SAR Brigade, under the Northern Theater Command, also flies Z‑9 and Z‑20 helicopters as well as Y‑8 turboprop transports. But none of the domestic platforms match the Mi‑171Sh in terms of armor protection, payload, or onboard weapons. That alone explains why this rugged Russian airframe was chosen for the brigade’s most dangerous mission set of combat search and rescue.

 

Thursday, August 08, 2024

Propaganda Photo Of The Day: “Search and Rescue” with rockets

In 2020, the PLA ordered a batch of heavily armed Mi-171Sh military transport helicopter from Russia, and it is now confirmed that some of them are being placed under a  PLAAF  “search and rescue” brigade of the Northern Theater Command

Sunday, May 04, 2025

1st Transportation and SAR Brigade, Eastern Theater Command Air Force

Speaking of CASEVAC, here's some recently released PR photos of the 1st Transportation and SAR Brigade,  Eastern Theater Command Air Force (here), PLA's main SAR unit (SN 51*1*).  The first began with Z-8 and Mi-171 modified into SAR roles and has since expanded with Z-20 SAR coppers.    The AOO of the Eastern Theater Command Air Force is the Taiwan Strait.