Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Aero Engines has announced the first flight of a Pratt & Whitney GTFTM PW1200G engine assembled in Japan.
The flight was completed in the United States at the company’s Flight Test Center in Moses Lake, Washington. In a statement Mitsubishi said this test flight marked a major step for the development of the commercial aviation business in Japan.
“This is the first flight with an engine completed in Japan, and represents an important milestone for Mitsubishi Aircraft, our SpaceJet family of aircraft, and the further development of the aerospace cluster in Japan,” said Mitsubishi Aircraft president Hisakazu Mizutani. “We are in the process of creating not only aircraft but also the foundation for the commercial aviation industry in Japan,” he added.
Katsuyuki Shimauchi, the president & chief executive of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Aero Engines said , “In addition to manufacturing complete aircraft like Mitsubishi Aircraft, the ability to assemble aircraft engines in Japan is very important for the growth of the domestic aircraft industry as well as the development of a reliable supply chain needed to support future aircraft.”
The first flight took place on February 14 when The Mitsubishi Aircraft flight test team validated the basic functions of the engine in normal flight. In subsequent flights, the performance of both the engine and the aircraft were confirmed, and the engine has been cleared and is scheduled to join the flight test fleet in the coming weeks.
