Mitsubishi Regional Jet

Mitsubishi Regional Jet MRJ70/MRJ90
First MRJ prototype at Nagoya Airport
Role	Twin-engine Regional jet
National origin	Japan
Manufacturer	Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
Designer	Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation
First flight	11 November 2015
Introduction	Mid-2020
Status	Under development
Number built	4 MRJ90 test aircraft
Program cost	US$1.5 billion (180 billion yen)
Unit cost	MRJ70: US$45.8 Million MRJ90: US$47.3 Million

The Mitsubishi Regional Jet (Japanese: 三菱リージョナルジェット), or MRJ for short, is a twin-engine regional jet aircraft seating 70–90 passengers manufactured by Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation, a partnership between majority owner Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Toyota Motor Corporation with design assistance from Toyota affiliate Fuji Heavy Industries, already a manufacturer of aircraft. It will be the first airliner designed and produced in Japan since the NAMC YS-11 of the 1960s, which was produced at a loss. Its first flight was in November 2015. After a fifth delay, deliveries are scheduled to start by mid-2020.

In 2003 the Japanese government started a five-year, ¥50 billion ($420 million) research program to study an indigenous regional jet for 30 to 90 passengers, led by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI). In 2004 MHI was focused on a 2m high by 2.8m-wide, four-seat abreast cabin, seating 30 to 50 passengers, and was hoping to fly a prototype in 2007 and deliver the first aircraft in 2010. In 2005 it switched to a larger 70-90 seat category.

MHI launched its concept at the 47th Paris Air Show in June 2007, showing a full-scale cabin mock-up and aiming to be the first regional jet all-composite airframe, with certification targeted for 2012. Mitsubishi formally offered the MRJ to airlines in October 2007 - the first Japanese airliner since the NAMC YS-11 production stopped in 1974 - after being the first airframer to select the Pratt & Whitney PW1000G geared turbofan offering a 12% reduction in thrust specific fuel consumption, rated at 15,000 lbf (67 kN) thrust on the 70- to 80-seat MRJ70 and 17,000lb thrust (75.7kN) on the 86- to 96-seat MRJ90, projecting a ¥150 billion ($1275 million) development cost.