Beijing’s new rescue plane to boost emergency operations in South China Sea

US-made King Air 350ER expands search and rescue radius from 200 to 1,000 nautical miles as China pushes to develop maritime industries

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The Beechcraft King Air 350ER is the first fixed-wing rescue aircraft of China’s maritime rescue force. Photo: CCTV

Published: 6:00pm, 9 Aug 2024

China’s maritime rescue force has added its first fixed-wing rescue aircraft to its fleet, boosting its ability to carry out emergency operations in the South China Sea and other key sea routes.

The King Air 350ER entered service on Wednesday, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Thursday. The plane is part of the Ministry of Transport’s rescue branch based in the eastern province of Fujian.

The new aircraft, designed and manufactured by Beechcraft, a subsidiary of Kansas-based Textron Aviation, will allow the country to expand its coverage radius from 200 to 1,000 nautical miles (370km to 1,852km), it said.

With a maximum take-off weight of 7.5 tonnes, the fixed-wing aircraft has an air range of 2,570 nautical miles and a maximum cruise speed of 561km/h (349mph).

It can perform 24-hour rescue missions in all but the most extreme weather, which “will significantly enhance China’s comprehensive offshore emergency response and rescue capabilities”, CCTV said.

People’s Daily said the aircraft would be used for emergency search and rescue in the South China Sea and East China Sea.

The extended radius could allow the maritime force to cover a large area of the South China Sea spanning about 2,000km (1,243 miles) from north to south and about 1,000km from east to west.