Good News for Mitsubishi
Pratt & Whitney’s PurePower geared turbofan PW1200G engine has been awarded its type certificate by the Federal Aviation Administration. The powerplant has been specifically optimised for both the Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation’s MRJ-70 and MRJ-90, with the Japanese manufacturer claiming the engine’s advanced technology will contribute to a 10-20% reduction in operating costs compared to current generation regional aircraft. The approval comes shortly after the fourth MRJ prototype arrived at the Moses Lake Flight Test Centre in Washington State, where it is supporting a busy schedule of trials.
A PW1200G on the wing of one of the five Mitsubishi MRJ flight test aircraft, four of which are undergoing trials in the US. (Mitsubishi Aircraft)
Hisakazu Mizutani, president, Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation remarked: “The integration of the engine and aircraft design underscores just how critical collaboration is to the success of creating a next-generation regional aircraft, and we are proud to be the first company to have selected this game-changing engine for the MRJ. This achievement is the latest in an ongoing series of development milestones and tests that MRJ has conducted and we are looking ahead to the next phase of testing on our aircraft.”
The PW1200G engine has accumulated more than 6,000 hrs and 15,000 cycles as part of the development, certification and flight testing activities. It delivers 17,000lb of thrust and is currently powering the five MRJ flight test vehicles.
