Mitsubishi not excited about new commercial plane proposed by the Japanese government

After the failure of the SpaceJet regional jet, the company says it is not the time to decide whether it will return to the aircraft assembly business
MRJ90 aircraft
MRJ90 aircraft (Mitsubishi)

The Japanese government’s ambitious plan to launch a new commercial aircraft capable of competing for orders with Airbus and Boeing is viewed with skepticism by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.

The group, one of the largest in the country, is still recovering from the billion-dollar loss with the SpaceJet program, which ended in 2023 after years of development and seven test aircraft built.

In a meeting with shareholders, the senior vice president of commercial aviation, Hiroyuki Koguchi, stated that “we’re now in a phase to lay the groundwork for that, and not in the timing to decide on whether to resume the aircraft assembly business,” according to Reuters.

Follow Air Data News: WhatsApp | Google News | Instagram | LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook

Koguchi justified Mitsubishi’s position in light of the Japanese Ministry of Industry’s plan to carry out a public-private project valued at US$25 billion to place an advanced technology aircraft on the air travel market around 2035.

According to the executive, the company is now using its human and technological resources for other aerospace and environmental businesses.

The SpaceJet registration JA23MJ in Le Bourget (MHI)

Table of Contents

Unforeseen events

The SpaceJet program, born as MRJ (Mitsubishi Regional Jet), emerged in 2003 with support from the Japanese government with the goal of producing a family of regional jets with a capacity between 70 and 90 seats.

The official launch took place in 2008 with a plan to enter service in 2012. The MRJ would have the MRJ70 (up to 80 seats) and MRJ90 (86 to 96 seats) versions and would be equipped with modern PW1000G turbofans from Pratt & Whitney.

SpaceJet M90 (MRJ-90) prototype with ANA livery (Anna Zvereva)

The inaugural flight took place in November 2015, when entry into service was already pushed to 2018.

Mitsubishi built several test aircraft, however, the unexpected complexity of the certification process led the company to create a unit in the United States, to be close to the FAA, the US civil aviation agency.

Aircraft dismantled

Despite receiving substantial orders, the program suffered repeated delays and a strategic change in 2019, when Mitsubishi renamed it SpaceJet.

SpaceJet M90 aircraft being dismantled in the US (Wade Sackett)

The biggest news was the launch of the M70, an aircraft that would be built to meet the scope clauses of US airlines and thus compete with the Embraer E175.

With no prospects of obtaining type certification and amid the Covid-19 pandemic, Mitsubishi paused the program in 2020, after huge losses.

Little by little, the SpaceJet was dismantled, including the prototypes, until in 2023 the company announced the end of the program.

Previous Post
GlobaEye AEW&C aircraft

Sweden orders third GlobalEye airborne early warning aircraft

Next Post
A-29N Super Tucano

Portugal closer to purchasing the Embraer A-29N Super Tucano

Related Posts