MRJ90 design changes will necessitate additional flight test aircraft

Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp will need to produce additional MRJ90 flight test aircraft to gain certification, a consequence of systems revisions that have caused a 2-year program delay. Mitsubishi Aircraft announced Jan 23 that it will push back first delivery of the MRJ90 to ANA from mid-2018 to mid-2020, the latest in a series of delays that have beset the Mitsubishi Regional Jet program. Mitsubishi Aircraft VP and GM-sales and marketing Yugo Fukuhara said “the major issues” necessitating the new delay are the rerouting of wire harnesses and the relocation of some components in the avionics bay. Four MRJ90 flight test aircraft are already flying, and a fifth is set to join the flight test program this year. Fukuhara said the majority of MRJ90 flight testing will still be able to be conducted with those 5 aircraft. <br/>