Following an in-depth review of the MRJ program, Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation (MITAC) announced the following program schedule update:
- MRJ first flight is scheduled for JFY* 3Q 2013, in order to:
(i) Confirm respective fabrication processes.
(ii) Provide sufficient time for technical studies.
First flight details to be announced at a later date or during events such as MRJ roll-out.
- First delivery of MRJ is slated for the summer or later half of Japanese Fiscal Year 2015.
MITAC continues to strive towards accelerating development and delivery the first MRJ to the customer. And also we are considering to ramp up in following mass production line.
So the silence seems to prove what many had thought – not good news. On the other hand, given many other larger aerospace program delays, this news might slip by. The news does indicate the project may be much more complex than first envisaged by MITAC.
