Aircraft
Mitsubishi Sends MRJ for Icing Tests, Addresses Rate Plan
Company reviewing timing of 10-aircraft-per-month production rate
Mitsubishi MRJ FTA-4 takes off for icing trials at Rockford, Illinois. (Photo: Mitsubishi Aircraft)
Mitsubishi MRJ FTA-4 takes off for icing trials at Rockford, Illinois. (Photo: Mitsubishi Aircraft)

Mitsubishi Aircraft has conducted its first off-site test campaign for the MRJ regional jet at Rockford International Airport outside Chicago to collect data in natural icing conditions, the company announced in its latest edition of its monthly newsletter. The exercise builds on recent testing activities at Mitsubishi’s flight test center in Moses Lake, Washington, where three MRJ prototypes participate in an extended flight-test campaign now expected to last until 2020. Next, Mitsubishi plans to take FTA-4 to Florida for extreme temperature testing at Eglin Air Force Base.