Mitsubishi Aircraft has opened a new aircraft engineering facility in Seattle, Washington, to accelerate its Mitsubishi regional jet (MRJ) programme.
Named the Seattle Engineering Center (SEC), the facility will allow the company to strengthen its aircraft development capabilities. It will have around 150 members, including 100 engineers from Seattle and around 50 from Japan.
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Washington State Governor Jay Inslee said: "We are thankful to the Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation for its investment in our state and are proud of the assistance we can provide in bringing this important aircraft to the worldwide market.
"We look forward to continuing our support for the MRJ and seeing how our relationship with Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation can grow even further."
Aerospace Testing Engineering & Certification (AeroTEC) will work together with SEC to accelerate the MRJ activities.
AeroTEC will also support MRJ flight tests in the US, which are planned to be conducted in the second quarter of 2016 at the Grant County International Airport in Washington.
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By GlobalDataThe MRJ is a family of 70-90-seater, next-generation aircraft powered by Pratt & Whitney’s PurePower engine.
Mitsubishi Aircraft estimates the demand for small jets to reach 5,190 up to 2034, and intends to tap into half of the worldwide market, reported the Japan Times.
The company currently expects to conduct the first flight of its regional jet in October, and deliver the first aircraft to All Nippon Airways in the second quarter of 2017.
Image: The Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ) at the aircraft engineering facility. Photo: courtesy of Mitsubishi Aircraft.
