Fourth MRJ arrives in US; Mitsubishi evaluating flight test program

Fourth MRJ90 flight test aircraft landing at Grant County International Airport in Moses Lake, Washington.
(Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp.)

A fourth Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp. MRJ90 flight test aircraft has arrived in Moses Lake, Washington.

The aircraft, which departed Nagoya, Japan March 13, arrived April 1 at Grant County International Airport in Moses Lake after stops in Guam, the Marshall Islands, Honolulu and San Jose, California.

The total flight distance flown from Japan was approximately 14,000 km (8,700 miles) and total flight time was 19 hr. and 48 min.

The latest aircraft to arrive in Moses Lake is the last that had been designated to participate in US-based MRJ flight testing. A fifth MRJ90 flight test aircraft is remaining in Japan, though the majority of flight testing is slated to occur in the US.

Since the MRJ90’s first delivery to All Nippon Airways (ANA) was delayed again in January—pushed to mid-2020 from mid-2018—Mitsubishi Aircraft has been evaluating how many additional flight test aircraft and flight test hours will be necessary. The delay was necessitated by a design change—the rerouting of wire harnesses and the relocation of some components in the avionics bay—and at least one additional, newly produced MRJ90 incorporating those changes will have to conduct some flight testing in order for the aircraft to gain certification.

The program originally called for 2,500 hr. of flight testing with five MRJ90s, with four doing most of the flight testing in the US. “We are now taking a close look at our flight test program, reflecting the recent change and approximately how much time will be needed or which aircraft will be used, including how many additional flight test aircraft are required to obtain type certification,” a Mitsubishi Aircraft spokesperson told ATW.

(Aaron Karp - ATWOnline News)