Aircraft
Mitsubishi MRJ Set for Late October First Flight
Company expects to finish final aircraft-level ground testing and inspection by end of this month
The first MRJ flight test article performs low-speed taxi tests in Nagoya, Japan. (Photo: Mitsubishi Aircraft)
The first MRJ flight test article performs low-speed taxi tests in Nagoya, Japan. (Photo: Mitsubishi Aircraft)

Mitsubishi Aircraft has narrowed its first flight target for the MRJ regional jet to “the latter half of October” as the company aims to complete aircraft-level ground and engineering tests by late this month. During a briefing on Wednesday in Nagoya, Japan, the company’s chief engineer, Nobuo Kishi, told reporters that static strength testing, including trials involving main wing-up bending and fuselage pressurization, has confirmed the MRJ’s structural readiness for first flight.