Firefighting craft to aid in emergencies

China has begun deploying large firefighting aircraft, giving fresh hardware to its emergency response and rescue system.

According to the Aviation Industry Corp of China, the nation's dominant aircraft manufacturer, two firefighting variants of the MA-60 jetliner were delivered recently to the Ministry of Emergency Management in Xi'an, capital of Shaanxi province.

The State-owned industry conglomerate said in a statement that the delivery marked the end of the absence of a Chinese large firefighting aircraft.