Japanese aircraft manufacturer Mitsubishi Aircraft Engineering Center was officially opened in the US, located in Seattle (Wash.), According to Aviation Week. The company will analyze the data obtained from flight tests of regional aircraft Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ), part of which will be held in the United States.
To date, Mitsubishi engineering center employs 50 people. It is expected that in the II quarter of 2016, when the United States should begin testing its staff increase to 150 people. A third of them will be presented by experts from Japan, the other 100 people. - Staff AeroTEC (center management company) and personnel employed in the local market.
Participation in the summer program in the United States should take four aircraft MRJ. The works will be distributed between the four sites. In Colorado (City Regional Airport Gunnison Crested Baht) aircraft will be tested in the high altitude. In New Mexico (aviatsentr Roswell International) will take tests on the runway. In Florida (the base of the Air Forces of the USA "Eglin") held climatic tests. In addition, tests will be conducted in the flight test center is located in Moses Lake (Wash.).
The first prototype fulfilled taxi in Japan June 8, 2015 beginning of the summer program MRJ is scheduled for September-October 2015 Much of it will take place in Japan, near Nagoya.
In total, the program involve seven prototypes. The first of these will be used to test the extension of flight regimes. The second prototype is designed to confirm the performance characteristics. The third prototype will study performance of the aircraft and assess the performance of avionics. The fourth board is used for measuring the noise inside and outside the cockpit and test anti-icing system. The fifth prototype is expected to test the autopilot.
Seventh prototype sent to fatigue tests. What kind of work will be carried out with the sixth board, is not specified. It is known that to date almost five assembled prototype (left to join the fuselage to the wing), started assembly of the seventh sample.
MRJ flight tests scheduled to begin in May 2015, but they had to be moved because of the shortcomings of the software and the weak attachment of the turbine driven by the incoming flow.
Mitsubishi Aircraft plans to certify the aircraft both in Japan and in the United States. The estimated duration of the certification test is 2500 hours.
MRJ family will include two types - MRJ90 seats 90 and 70 MRJ70 seats. The first ship will be a larger version - is expected to launch customer, the Japanese airline All Nippon Air (ANA), will begin receiving the aircraft in 2017
