THE HX50 wing-in-ground-effect vehicle, or WIG vehicle — a joint effort of Huaxun Fangzhou Co. and a top-notch foreign wing-in-ground-effect vehicle team — debuted in Dapeng and successfully made its maiden voyage in Jinsha Bay.

Huaxun’s chairman Wu Guangsheng experienced the maiden trip as a co-pilot of the vehicle. He said that as an international leading integrated defense service provider, the company has employed its state-of-the-art materials, flight control technology, telecommunication technology and airmanship to craft the vehicle. He also revealed that the company is developing an unmanned WIG vehicle.

According to Zheng Shan, project leader of the vehicle, the WIG vehicle is nicknamed “a ship that can fly” as it combines aeronautic technology with marine technology, giving the vehicle the high speed of airplanes and safety of ships. It also features radar concealment.

The HX50 WIG vehicle takes off after accelerating for 200 meters and is able to reach speeds of 210 kilometers per hour, six to seven times faster than that of average ships.

Its range is up to 1,000 kilometers and it is able to quickly fly up to a height of 150 meters if it encounters an obstacle. The vehicle can take off from a water depth of just 50 centimeters and the three-hull design makes sure that it will not be overturned by waves.

Huaxun Fangzhou Co., headquartered in Bao’an, is an integrated defense service provider. (Chen Xiaochun)