The Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ) is a passenger jet aircraft seating 70–90 passengers manufactured by Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation, a partnership between majority owner Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Toyota Motor Corporation[1] with design assistance from Toyota affiliate Fuji Heavy Industries, already a manufacturer of aircraft. The project is in early manufacturing as of September 30, 2010[2] with its maiden flight scheduled for 2013. It will be the first airliner Japan has designed and produced domestically since the NAMC YS-11 of the 1960s.
| MRJ 70 / MRJ 90 | |
|---|---|
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| MRJ display model at ILA 2010 | |
| Role | Regional jet |
| National origin | Japan |
| Manufacturer | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries |
| Designer | Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation |
| First flight | 1 February 2013 |
| Introduction | 2015 with All Nippon Airways |
| Status | Assembly |
| Primary user | All Nippon Airways Trans States Holdings ANI Group Holdings SkyWest, Inc. |
| Produced | 2012–present |
The Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ) is a passenger jet aircraft seating 70–90 passengers manufactured by Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation, a partnership between majority owner Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Toyota Motor Corporation[1] with design assistance from Toyota affiliate Fuji Heavy Industries, already a manufacturer of aircraft. The project is in early manufacturing as of September 30, 2010[2] with its maiden flight scheduled for 2013. It will be the first airliner Japan has designed and produced domestically since the NAMC YS-11 of the 1960s.
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Design and development[edit]
The MRJ will be the launch platform for Pratt & Whitney's PW1000G Geared Turbofan engine.[3] The aircraft was initially expected to be the first regional jet aircraft to adopt carbon fiber composite materials for its airframe on a significant scale.[4] However, in a design turn-around in September, 2009, Mitsubishi announced that it would use aluminium for its wing box instead of composite material.[5] Carbon composite parts will now make up only 10-15% of the aircraft, mostly around the tail section. This change brought increase in the cabin height by 1.5in (3.81 cm) to 80.5in (204.47 cm) and fuselage height increase to 116.5in (295.91 cm). This gave the MRJ a rounder cabin, which is wider and higher than its competing aircraft manufactured by Bombardier and Embraer.[6]
A cabin mockup and a scale model were presented at the 47th Paris Air Show in June 2007.[4] The company has decided to formally offer the aircraft for sale to potential customers.[7] Production is planned to begin in 2012.[8] The first flight was scheduled after the design was finalized to take place in the second quarter of 2012; however, it is now scheduled for 2013.[9] Likewise the first delivery was planned to take place in the first quarter of 2014,[10] but is now planned for 2015.[11]
All Nippon Airways is the first customer, with an order for 15 MRJ 90s, and an option for 10 more.[12]
On 15 September 2010, the Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation announced that it had entered the production drawing phase and continues to proceed with the manufacturing process.[13]
Assembly of the first aircraft began in April 2011, with construction of the emergency escape for the cockpit.[14]
Variants[edit]
Four versions are planned using two different fuselage lengths. The MRJ70 will have a passenger capacity of 70-80 and the MRJ90 will have a passenger capacity of 86-96.
In March 2008, and again in October 2008, Sankei Shimbun and Fuji Sankei Business I reported that the government of Japan would buy ten MRJs to serve as short-haul and small-field VIP transports, supplementing the existing Japanese Air Force One Boeing 747 aircraft.[15]
At the Farnborough International Airshow July 2012, SkyWest agreed to buy 100 MRJ90's, to be delivered between 2017 and 2020. The deal is worth $4.2bn at list prices.
During the 2013 Regional Airlines Association conference, held in Montreal, Canada, Mitsubishi announced that ANI Group Holdings, which firmed a MoU for 5 MRJ aircraft in June 2011, cancelled the deal, without giving further details.[16]
Orders[edit]
| Date | Airline / Purchaser | EIS | Type | Remarks | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MRJ70 | MRJ90 | Options | ||||
| 27 March 2008 | All Nippon Airways[17] | 2015 | – | 15 | 10 | |
| 2 October 2009 | Trans States Holdings[18] | 2015 | – | 50 | 50 | |
| 16 June 2011 | ANI Group Holdings[19] | Lessor; MoU, deal cancelled[16] | ||||
| 11 July 2012 | SkyWest, Inc.[20][21] | 2017 | – | 100 | 100 | |
| Total | 0 | 165 | 160 | |||
Gallery[edit]
Specifications[edit]
| MRJ 70STD | MRJ 70ER | MRJ 70LR | MRJ 90STD | MRJ 90ER | MRJ 90LR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Passengers | 78 (29" seat pitch) | 92 (29" seat pitch) | ||||
| Length | 33.4 m (109.6 ft) | 35.8 m (117.4 ft) | ||||
| Wing span | 29.2 m (95.9 ft) | 29.2 m (95.9 ft) | ||||
| Tail height | 10.5 m (34.4 ft) | 10.5 m (34.4 ft) | ||||
| Max takeoff weight | 36,850 kg (81,240 lb) | 38,995 kg (85,969 lb) | 40,200 kg (88,626 lb) | 39,600 kg (87,303 lb) | 40,995 kg (90,378 lb) | 42,800 kg (94,358 lb) |
| Max landing weight | 36,200 kg (79,807 lb) | 38,000 kg (83,776 lb) | ||||
| Empty weight | 21,700 kg ? (47,800 lb) | 22,600 kg ? (49,800 lb) | ||||
| Max range | 1,530 km (820 nmi) | 2,730 km (1470 nmi) | 3,380 km (1820 nmi) | 1,670 km (900 nmi) | 2,400 km (1,290 nmi) | 3,310 km (1,780 nmi) |
| Typical cruise speed | Mach 0.78 (515 mph, 828 km/h) max. 0.82 (563 mph, 906 km/h) | |||||
| Takeoff field length (MTOW,SL,ISA) | 1,450 m (4,760 ft) | 1,620 m (5,320 ft) | 1,720 m (5,650 ft) | 1,490 m (4,890 ft) | 1,600 m (5,250 ft) | 1,740 m (5,710 ft) |
| Landing field length (MLW,Dry) | 1,430 m (4,700 ft) | 1,480 m (4,860 ft) | ||||
| Cabin Width | 2.76 m (108.5 in.) | |||||
| Powerplants (2x) | Pratt & Whitney PW1217G | |||||
| Engine thrust | 69.3 kN (15,600 lbf) × 2 | 78.2 kN (17,600 lbf) × 2 | ||||
Sources: MRJ[22]
See also[edit]
- Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era
- Antonov An-148
- Bombardier CRJ700 series
- Bombardier CSeries
- Comac ARJ21
- Embraer E-Jets/E-Jets E2
- Sukhoi Superjet 100
- Related lists
References[edit]
- ^ Toyota to sink $67.2 mln in Mitsubishi passenger jet, China Economic Net, May 23, 2008[dead link]
- ^ "MHI Commences Mitsubishi Regional Jet Manufacturing". Mrj-japan.com. Retrieved 2011-05-26.
- ^ "(includes drawing of MRJ)". Flightglobal.com. Retrieved 2011-05-26.
- ^ a b "E-Composites, Inc. for Market Reports, News and Business Solutions". E-composites.com. Retrieved 2011-05-26.
- ^ Polek, Gregory. "Mitsubishi To Delay MRJ First Flight". Aviation International News. Retrieved 10 September 2009.
- ^ Siva Govindasamy (9 September 2009). "AA09: Mitsubishi unveils major changes to MRJ programme". Flightglobal. Retrieved 10 September 2009.
- ^ "Japan International Aerospace Exhibition". Japanaerospace.jp. Retrieved 2011-05-26.
- ^ Boeing to team up with Mitsubishi for Japanese jetliner - USATODAY.com[dead link]
- ^ http://www.mrj-japan.com/press_releases/news_120425.html
- ^ http://www.mrj-japan.com/pdf/090909final_mrj_configuration_e.pdf
- ^ <http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/04/04/mitsubishiheavyindustries-idINL3E8F473320120404
- ^ ANA Selects Mitsubishi Regional Jet[dead link]
- ^ "Mitsubishi Aircraft Proceeds With MRJ Manufacturing Phase". Nagoya: Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation. 2010-09-15. Retrieved 2010-09-15.
- ^ "Mitsubishi Regional Jet starts assembly". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. 5 April 2011. Archived from the original on 5 April 2011. Retrieved 5 April 2011.
- ^ http://febnet.cocolog-nifty.com/column/2008/10/10-4420.html and http://ameblo.jp/airnews/entry-10153477253.html
- ^ a b Edward Russel (May 7, 2013). "Mitsubishi and ANI cancel MOU for MRJs". Flightglobal.
- ^ "ANA Selects Mitsubishi Regional Jet - firm order for 15 aircraft with 10 options".
- ^ "Trans States firms up order for up to 100 MRJs".
- ^ "Paris 2011: Mitsubishi Lands Third Customer for MRJ".
- ^ "Mitsubishi Wins SkyWest Jet Sale In Blow To Bombardier".
- ^ Flightglobal (ed.). "SkyWest firms deal for 100 MRJ90s".
- ^ http://www.mrj-japan.com/characteristics.html
External links[edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Mitsubishi Regional Jet |
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