Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Aero Engines Celebrate First Flight of First GTF Engine Produced in Japan

Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation, an MHI Group company, announced that it has completed its maiden flight with the first Pratt & Whitney GTF PW1200G engine assembled in Japan. The flight was completed in the United States at the company’s Flight Test Center in Moses Lake, WA, and was performed by the company’s Flight Test Aircraft 1 (FTA1).

With the success of this flight, Mitsubishi Aircraft and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Aero Engines, Ltd. (MHIAEL) marked an important milestone for the development of the commercial aviation business in Japan.

"This is the first flight with an engine completed in Japan, and represents an important milestone for Mitsubishi Aircraft, our SpaceJet family of aircraft, and the further development of the aerospace cluster in Japan,” said Mitsubishi Aircraft President Hisakazu Mizutani.

Katsuyuki Shimauchi, the President & CEO of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Aero Engines, Ltd., declared, "We are very pleased that the first engine we completed has made its first flight. In addition to manufacturing complete aircraft like Mitsubishi Aircraft, the ability to assemble aircraft engines in Japan is very important for the growth of the domestic aircraft industry as well as the development of a reliable supply chain needed to support future aircraft."

Bryan Rivard, PW1200G program director at Pratt & Whitney commented, “Congratulations to the team on this important achievement. We are proud to see the revolutionary GTF technology taking flight after being assembled in Japan."

Additionally, Mr. Mizutani explained, “We are in the process of creating not only aircraft but also the foundation for the commercial aviation industry in Japan. I would like to thank everyone at MHIAEL for their untiring efforts and Pratt & Whitney for their support of this achievement.”

The first flight took place on Friday, February 14 (PST). The Mitsubishi Aircraft flight test team validated the basic functions of the engine in normal flight. In subsequent flights, the performance of both the engine and the aircraft were confirmed, and the engine has been cleared. It is scheduled to join the flight test fleet in the coming weeks.