4th flight test aircraft: System parts installation is underway (Photos courtesy of Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation)
By Shihou Sasaki
The North American Post
Japan’s first aircraft project in nearly half a century has landed in Seattle. The Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation opened the Seattle Engineering Center in the SODO area for its core project of building the Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ).
As it has been nearly a half century since it has designed a jet, Japan has little experience in building and completing the project. Learning from the experience and knowledge of experts in the Seattle area, the global hub of the aviation industry, was a main reason to launch the SEC.
Since opening in June, SEC gradually added a working force of both local and Japanese engineers. The center, partnered with the local company AeroTEC, will eventually have 50 Japanese and 100 local employees as a core of the MRJ project and a support site for test flights in Moses Lake.
Kenichiro Honda, vice president of SEC, said that working at the Seattle location has highly motivated him to advance the project, working and sharing information with experts of the industry, who they were unable to reach in Japan.
The SEC’s opening ceremony was held on Monday at the Museum of Flight with local representatives including State Governor Jay Inslee, U.S. Representative Suzan DelBene, Seattle Mayor Ed Murray and Consul General Masahiro Omura. U.S. Senator Patti Murray sent a video message to congratulate the center’s opening and U.S. Representative Jim McDermott also shared his thoughts through a staff member.
The project has also built a new supply line, now from the United States to Japan, contrary to the Boeing project. Hiromichi Morimoto, president and chief executive officer of Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation, said that not only the SEC, but also a large part of MRJ components are supplied from the United States including Washington.
“I would like to say that the MRJ is developed and made with the State of Washington,” he said. “The MRJ is developed and made with the United States.”
The MRJ is a 70-90 seat next-generation aircraft expected to run regional travels. The Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation America has headquarters in Dallas, Texas where it’s main sales division is located. Seattle will hold the main engineering division office.
Morimoto said that having flight tests in the U.S. would help raise MRJ sales, which have been competing against the major suppliers including Embraer in Brazil and Bombardier in Canada. As of today, 407 orders were received, many from U.S. companies.
Explaining about Washington state suppliers to the MRJ project, Inslee said that this relationship will be another milestone between the two countries. In the aerospace industry, Japanese companies have been key suppliers to Boeing airplanes including Mitsubishi, a parent company of Mitsubishi Aircraft.
“Washington is honored to play a supporting role in the development of the Mitsubishi Regional Jet,” said Governor Jay Inslee. “With more than 100 years of history designing and building the greatest commercial airplanes in the world, Washington is the global leader in aerospace. 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.”
Nobuo Kishi, senior executive vice president with Mitsubishi Aircraft’s MRJ division, shared his expectation that the SEC will help to build future aerospace business relationships in this area with Japan.
“In my opinion, after the MRJ program, I expect more and more business in the Seattle area,” said Kishi at the SEC, where media were allowed to visit prior to the ceremony on Monday.
MRJ is planning to have its first flight in Japan in September or October and will move its test base to Moses Lake from next April to June to begin major test flights. In addition to the Washington sites, other specific tests will be held in other locations in Colorado, Florida and New Mexico. A 65,000-square-foot hanger in Moses Lake is currently under construction.
According to the Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation, four of five MRJs will be carried to the Grant County International Airport in Moses Lake to cover about 70 percent of the 2,500-hour test flight requirement.
Since Mitsubishi Aircraft launched the project in 2008, the schedule has been delayed several times, but opening the SEC and flight tests in the United States is now a hope to accelerate the project towards its first delivery, which is set in 2017.