Electric AS700 makes successful debut flight

The AS700, the largest model of airship China has ever developed, now has an electrically powered version, according to Aviation Industry Corp of China, the nation's leading aircraft maker.

The first prototype of the lithium battery-powered AS700D carried out the type's first flight on Friday morning, making a short hover about 50 meters above the Jingmen Zhanghe Airport in Hubei province before landing on the same site.

After that, the test pilot Lin Hong conducted another three brief flights to check the prototype's performance, according to AVIC.