The Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ) has recently been met with another delay — this time of two years. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries recently announced that the expected delivery date of the first aircraft has been pushed from 2018 to mid-2020. This the fifth time Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Mitsubishi Aircraft have announced a delay, according to reports.
Photo: Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation
“This change [in target delivery date] is due to revisions of certain systems and electrical configurations on the aircraft to meet the latest requirements for certification,” the company says.
It is reported that avionics components are to be relocated, requiring rerouting and rewiring. The issue was discovered last fall. Other flight testing aircraft will reportedly not be gounded. However, its been reported that Mitsubishi plans to build two more test planes with the revisions incorporated.
Revisions and more testing would be good news for the state of Washington, local news reports say. MRJ flight testing has been occurring in Seattle. Mid-2016, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Misubishi Aircraft Corporation conducted the first flight of the second Flight Test Aircraft (FTA-2) in Japan. The establishment of a main flight testing base for the MRJ at Grant County International Airport at Moses Lake, Washington, was to follow. Mitsubishi is currently seeking engineers and other specialists to work at the Seattle facility.
The MRJ is the launch customer for Pratt & Whitney’s PurePower Geared Turbofan engine. It features the Rockwell Collins Pro Line Fusion avionics suite, which features a flight deck with four 15-inch landscape liquid crystal displays (LCD). The jet is equipped with next-generation features Rockwell Collins’ MultiScan weather radar with predictive wind shear, vertical situational display, automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast out (ADS-B Out) and localizer performance with vertical guidance (LPV), to name a few.