Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation and Pratt & Whitney announced on May 31 that Pratt & Whitney’s PurePower geared turbofan PW1200G engine has successfully acquired Type Certification from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). This follows the fourth Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ) flight test aircraft arriving at Moses Lake Flight Test Center, Washington, to support a busy 2017 of testing and milestones, including completion of initial cold and hot soak and natural icing tests.
The MRJ-70 and MRJ-90 will each be powered by two PW1200G engines. The engine was optimized specifically for the MRJ program, which in turn designed the wing and aerodynamics with the PW1200G in mind. The engines’ advanced technology will contribute to a 10-20% reduction in operating costs compared to the current generation of regional aircraft and 50% lower in regulated emissions, enabling the MRJ to offer best-in-class efficiency and environmental performance.
“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 very proud to be the first company to have selected this game-changing engine for the MRJ. We congratulate the Pratt & Whitney team on this important milestone,” said Hisakazu Mizutani, president, Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation.
“This achievement is the latest in an ongoing series of developmental milestones and tests that the MRJ has conducted, and we are looking ahead to the next phase of testing on our aircraft.”
More than 15 critical engine system level certification tests were successfully completed to meet FAA certification requirements. These captured required data for certification including performance, stress, endurance, emissions, acoustics, bird impact, and fan blade containment. The engine has accumulated more than 6,000 hours and 15,000 cycles as part of development, certification and flight testing activities. The engine provides 17,000 lb of thrust and is currently powering five flight test vehicles.
June 7, 2017
