Additional MRJs

Two more MRJs to join the regional jet’s test programme later this year will be used to support type certification activities for components affected by recent design changes.
Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp

Two more Mitsubishi Regional Jets (MRJs) are to join the new airliner’s flight test programme at the Moses Lake Test Centre in Washington. The aircraft, c/n 10007 and c/n 10008, have been painted in a hangar adjacent to the MRJ Final Assembly Hangar at Nagoya, Japan.

A Mitsubishi Aircraft spokesperson told AIR International the company expects the additional jets, “to join the test fleet towards the end of 2018 while we continue testing with the current fleet”. The two MRJs will feature the final configuration, which takes account of design changes applied to the aircraft in 2017.

The main differences in these two aircraft from the three MRJs already undertaking flight-testing at Moses Lake are repositioned system components in the avionics bay and rerouted electrical wire harnesses. Mitsubishi explained: “We will utilise the current test aircraft for the purpose of obtaining type certification for those components not affected by the design changes.”

Tests continue using the three MRJs already at Moses Lake. One recent milestone, achieved using FTA 5 (the MRJ test aircraft in launch operator All Nippon Airways’ livery) was an assessment of auxiliary power unit noise. Major tests planned for 2018 and beyond include smoke penetration and functionality and reliability tests. Mitsubishi said it was, “making progress for acquiring type certification” from Japanese regulator JCAB and the US Federal Aviation Administration. Mark Broadbent