Mitsubishi MRJ Program - News & Discussions

[CountStrike]

OPINION: MRJ has certification hurdles ahead

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• 03 OCTOBER, 2016
  
• BY: FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL

For a while it almost felt like the Mitsubishi Regional Jetwould never make it to the USA. It is not often that a flight-test prototype aborts its mission twice in two days, but that was just what happened when Mitsubishi Aircraft attempted to ferry its first flight-test article to Moses Lake over the weekend of 27 August.

A month later and the Japanese manufacturer is no doubt breathing a belated sigh of relief after the MRJ landed safely at Grant County International airport after a 4,500nm (8,300km), multi-leg journey.

The real work, however, is only just starting.

Mitsubishi plans for the majority of flight testing to be performed in the USA, thanks to more predictable weather and a deep pool of certification specialists and engineering centres which are to be used to make up for its own inexperience.

It now has less than 20 months to secure approvals for the MRJ90 – a complicated process that will almost certainly encounter additional obstacles along the way.

It still aims to hand over the first example to launch customer All NipponAirways in mid-2018, and can ill afford any further programme slippage.

While Mitsubishi has never previously produced a commercial aircraft, it has a strong aerospace pedigree.

Getting FTA-1 to the USA is a major milestone, but what follows will put its manufacturer’s credentials as a would-be airframer to the ultimate test.
https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/opinion-mrj-has-certification-hurdles-ahead-429896/

ANA faces risk of delay in delivery of Mitsubishi planes
October 2, 2016 | 5:42 PM

By Bloomberg News

#ANA faces risk of delay in delivery of Mitsubishi planes

Tokyo: Mitsubishi Aircraft, a unit of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, may delay the delivery of its MRJ regional jets to its first customer ANA Holdings due to the possibility of some technical modifications to the aircraft, the Japanese carrier said.

The builder of Japan’s first home-made passenger jet informed of the possibility of such a risk late September, ANA spokeswoman Maho Ito said, which may mean it won’t be able to meet the original schedule for mid-2018. Mitsubishi has not given any new date and ANA will decide on a response only to a confirmed delay, she said. Representatives of Mitsubishi didn’t respond to multiple calls to their cellphones outside business hours on Saturday.

The MRJ programme, aimed at challenging the dominance of Brazil’s Embraer and Canada’s Bombardier in the market for planes with less than 100 seats, had recently suffered some setbacks after two test flights to the United States were aborted following faulty air-conditioning. As recently as August, Mitsubishi said it was sticking to its delivery schedule for 2018, and said its third attempt to test-fly the aircraft to the U.S. was a success on Wednesday.

Total Orders

ANA, the operator of Japan’s biggest airline and the launch customer for the Mitsubishi Regional Jet, has ordered a total of 25 MRJs, which can seat as many as 92 people.

The MRJ, which made its first flight in November last year, won its first order from a European company in February. Mitsubishi had 427 orders for its new aircraft, including options and purchase rights, and its two biggest customers are based in the U.S.

Japan’s last domestically produced commercial aircraft was the YS-11, a turboprop made by Nihon Aircraft Manufacturing Corp., a consortium that included Mitsubishi Heavy, Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd. and Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. Production was stopped in 1974 after 182 of the planes were sold.

Mitsubishi Heavy shares declined 2.7 percent to 419.10 yen in Tokyo on Friday, extending their losses this year to about 20 percent, versus a 14 percent drop in the benchmark Nikkei 225 index.

http://timesofoman.com/article/9338...isk-of-delay-in-delivery-of-Mitsubishi-planes

 

[CountStrike]

MRJ customers unfazed by recent challenges: Mitsubishi

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• 13 OCTOBER, 2016
  
• BY: GREG WALDRON
  
• TOKYO

Updated to clarify schedule of flight test aircrafts' arrival in Moses Lake.

Mitsubishi Aircraft says that customers for its MRJ regional jet are understanding in regard to the challenges the type suffered in transit to the type’s US testing facility.

“We have been careful to share the status of development with customers at all times,” says Yugo Fukuhara, vice president and general manager of sales and marketing at the company. “Unfortunately we failed the ferry flight twice, just due to minor things, but we fixed the issue and explained this to customers…this a brand new programme, so there will be challenges.

Fukuhara remained committed to the company’s plan to deliver the type in mid-2018 to launch customer All Nippon Airways. He spoke to FlightGlobal at the Japan Aerospace show in Tokyo.

In early October, it emerged that Mitsubishi had spoken to ANA about a “risk of delay”, but the Japanese airframer stressed that no decisions had been made on changing the delivery schedule. This followed two failed efforts to get the first MRJ90 flight test aircraft (FTA-1) to the jet’s Moses Lake testing facility in Washington state.

Fukuhara says learnings from the first flight, where a faulty sensor caused a “minor issue,” should ease the passage of the second, third, and fourth flight test vehicles to the US. FTA-2, FTA-3, and FTA-4 are due to fly to the US before the end of 2016.

FTA-5 will bear ANA livery and remain in Japan.

“We assured ANA of the general status of development and also informed our other customers,” says Fukuhara. “It may have some design impact, and we will fix it. Almost everyday, we have some design issue, and we fix the problem, and manage the schedule to meet our target.”

Fukuhara also said that the company foresees Swedish lessor Rockton firming up its letter of intent for 10 firm MRJ90s and 10 options by the end of 2016. In August, Miami-based Aerolease Aviation’s firmed up an order for 10 MRJ90s and options for 10 more.

Fukuhara was upbeat about the type’s two lessor customers.

“Leasing companies usually don't order new aircraft until the customers, secondary market, and residual values are established,” he says. “These deals came during the early stage of MRJ’s development, and show lessors’ confidence in the value of the MRJ in the future. So, they ordered on a speculative basis. A major milestone.”

The airframer is targeting to certificate the aircraft in early 2018, before delivering the first jet to ANA in the middle of the year. Its original plan to ferry its first flight test aircraft to the US by August was however pushed back a month, after it was forced to abort the mission twice due to anomalies with a sensor in the aircraft’s air monitoring system.

Last December, Mitsubishi pushed back initial delivery of the MRJ90 by a year to mid-2018, relinquishing its one year advantage to entry-into-service over the rival Embraer 190-E2.
https://www.flightglobal.com/news/a...unfazed-by-recent-challenges-mitsubis-430333/

 

[CountStrike]

Mitsubishi waits for right timing for MRJ100X
Oct 13, 2016Victoria Moores

• • EMAIL
• COMMENTS 0
  
  
  
  Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp.
  RELATED MEDIA
  
  Gallery: First MRJ90 Test Aircraft Reaches US
  
  
  Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp. is progressing with the build of All Nippon Airlines’ (ANA) first MRJ90 and is considering launch timings for the MRJ100X.
  
  “We finished the wing-body join [last month] for ANA’s first aircraft in our new final assembly hangar,” Mitsubishi head of strategic marketing, sales and marketing Hideyuki Kamiya said, speaking at the European Regions Airline Association General Assembly in Madrid.
  
  The MRJ family will consist of the 76-seat MRJ70, the 88-seat MRJ90 and the planned MRJ100X. Of these, the MRJ90 will enter service—albeit heavily delayed—in mid-2018, followed by the MRJ70 roughly a year later. The MRJ100X is yet to be launched.
  
  “We know the MRJ100X will be very important for the market,” Kamiya said. “We are waiting for good timing to launch the MRJ100. We are taking it very seriously.” Mitsubishi is aiming for the MRJ100X to have the “best economics in the 100-seat market.”
  
  However, the MRJ program is heavily delayed. Mitsubishi insists the first MRJ90 is still scheduled for delivery in mid-2018, although ANA has been warned of the potential for further technical delays.
  
  The first, second and fourth MRJ90 test aircraft are now flying. Aircraft number three is “very close” to its first flight and five will fly this winter.
  
  Mitsubishi is planning to do the majority of its flight certification hours in the US, including rejected takeoffs and extreme conditions, such as hot and high operations. The first aircraft is already there and will soon be joined by the rest of the fleet, excluding aircraft number five that will be equipped with a cabin.
  
  Meanwhile, the first flight test MRJ70 is progressing. Mitsubishi began manufacturing the parts for the aircraft in 2015 and the MRJ70 will fly for the first time in 2017.
  
  “We will have two flight test aircraft for the MRJ70. Most of the characteristics are the same as the MRJ90—the difference is just in the length of the fuselage—so fewer flight tests will be required. We expect one year’s separation for entry into service between the MRJ70 and the MRJ90.”
  
  The program has 233 firm orders to date, spanning seven customers, with options and purchase rights on a further 194. Mitsubishi has also signed a letter of intent with Swedish lessor Rockton Aviation covering 10 firm aircraft and 10 options that are not included in the order total.
  
  Mitsubishi sees a demand for 5,137 regional jets over the next 20 years. North America makes up 36% of this, followed by Europe with 16%. Asia Pacific and China each represent 12%, Latin America 8%, Africa 7%, Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) 5%, and Middle East 4%.
  http://atwonline.com/manufacturers/mitsubishi-waits-right-timing-mrj100x

 

[CountStrike]

MRJ's First Test Flight In US Conducted Successfully

NAGOYA, Oct 19 (Bernama) -- The Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ), the first Japanese-developed small passenger jet, has conducted its first test flight in the United States without any major problem, the jet's developer said Tuesday, Japan's Jiji Press reported.

The first aircraft from the MRJ left Grant County International Airport in the US state of Washington on Monday afternoon local time and flew for three hours and 18 minutes, according to Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp., based in the town of Toyoyama in the central Japan prefecture of Aichi.

The second, third and fourth units of the MRJ are slated to arrive in the US in stages to participate in the flight test.

Using the four planes, the firm will accelerate the test, mainly to check the aircraft's safety, as it aims to start the delivery of the MRJ in mid-2018.

Some 2,500 hours of test flights are required for the MRJ to acquire type certification, which is needed for commercial operations.

Mitsubishi Aircraft plans to conduct more than 90 per cent of the practical flights in areas around the airport in the city of Moses Lake, where weather conditions are favourable.

-- BERNAMA

 

[ahojunk]

MRJ's First Test Flight In US Conducted Successfully

NAGOYA, Oct 19 (Bernama) -- The Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ), the first Japanese-developed small passenger jet, has conducted its first test flight in the United States without any major problem, the jet's developer said Tuesday, Japan's Jiji Press reported.

The first aircraft from the MRJ left Grant County International Airport in the US state of Washington on Monday afternoon local time and flew for three hours and 18 minutes, according to Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp., based in the town of Toyoyama in the central Japan prefecture of Aichi.

The second, third and fourth units of the MRJ are slated to arrive in the US in stages to participate in the flight test.

Using the four planes, the firm will accelerate the test, mainly to check the aircraft's safety, as it aims to start the delivery of the MRJ in mid-2018.

Some 2,500 hours of test flights are required for the MRJ to acquire type certification, which is needed for commercial operations.

Mitsubishi Aircraft plans to conduct more than 90 per cent of the practical flights in areas around the airport in the city of Moses Lake, where weather conditions are favourable.

-- BERNAMA

Wow! This is great news for Mitsubishi Aircraft in particular and Japan in general.

Congrats to Mitsubishi.

This is no easy feat from manufacture to a successful test flight.

 

[CountStrike]

The fourth flight test aircraft of the P&W-powered MRJ arrived in Washington from Nagoya Airfield after an 18 hour and 43 minute trip covering 14,000 km (8,700 mi). (Photo credit: Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp)

https://www.facebook.com/prattandwhitney/

 

[艹艹艹]

http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201612270048.html
MHI chief: More tests needed for MRJ, another delay likely
By SATOSHI SEII/ Staff Writer

December 27, 2016 at 16:05 JST

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  Japan’s first domestically produced passenger jet faces a delay in delivery because “it requires more tests,” the fifth such postponement since the original schedule for 2013, the president of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. said.
  
  The Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ), produced by MHI unit Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp., is supposed to be delivered to clients in mid-2018.
  
  “Considering the current circumstances, we are not yet ready to prepare the start of MRJ deliveries,” Shunichi Miyanaga, MHI president, said in a recent interview with media organizations, including The Asahi Shimbun.
  
  Miyanaga emphasized that the MRJ is highly praised at home and abroad, but he spoke of the need for more tests.
  
  He said the company faces difficulties under existing procedures, and that he would announce how the company will proceed by the end of January, when MHI plans to officially announce its review of MRJ deliveries.
  
  Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer SA is also developing the same type of small-sized jet. A further delay in MRJ deliveries could undermine Mitsubishi’s competitive edge.
  
  However, Miyanaga indicated he was not worried about such a scenario.
  
  “Embraer also has recently announced a delay in development of their jets,” he said. “It’s just the same for any company, that projects are unlikely to proceed exactly as planned.”
  
  Mitsubishi Aircraft has postponed delivery four times because of design changes.
  
  Miyanaga also discussed MHI’s decision to take an equity stake in Areva NP, a subsidiary of French nuclear plant builder and operator Areva.
  
  “We want to strengthen mutual exchanges with Areva, a technologically sophisticated company in terms of the nuclear fuel cycle,” Miyanaga said.
  

 

[BoQ77]

Update:
First flight of MRJ in Nov. 2015
FTA-1 arrived Moses Lake - USA in Sept 2016
FTA-4 arrived Moses Lake in Nov 2016
FTA-2 arrived Moses Lake in Dec 2016
FTA-3 had first flight in Nagoya in Nov. 2016

the fifth with ANA flag

 

[TaiShang]

January 20, 2017 1:55 pm JST

Mitsubishi to announce fifth delay in MRJ airliner delivery

Electronics design changes mean jet won't be ready until mid-2020

A Mitsubishi Regional Jet takes off in Nagoya on Sept. 26.

TOKYO -- Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has confirmed that the delivery of its Mitsubishi Regional Jet will be postponed yet again, this time to mid-2020. The delivery deadline was scheduled for mid-2018 for an order from ANA Holdings. The heavy machinery maker plans to announce the delay, its fifth, on Monday.

The MRJ, Japan's first homegrown commercial jetliner, has been under development by group member Mitsubishi Aircraft. A design modification that requires changing the location of some electronic equipment on the aircraft has forced the manufacturer to re-examine the delivery schedule.

In the fall of 2016, the Mitsubishi group informed parties involved that delivery would be postponed. Speculation put the new deadline for 2019 at the earliest.

The Mitsubishi group has spent billions of dollars on developing the commercial airliner, but the ever-growing time frame is becoming a financial burden. To further push the project, the group plans to set up a committee that will exclusively promote the project and report directly to Mitsubishi Heavy President Shunichi Miyanaga.

http://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Com...announce-fifth-delay-in-MRJ-airliner-delivery