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Pratt & Whitney to deliver engines for Mitsubishi
Oct. 10, 2013, East Hartford, Conn. - Pratt & Whitney is scheduled to deliver a new PW1000G Geared Turbofan engine for Mitsubishi Aircraft's regional jet in April next year.
October 10, 2013 By aerospace-technology.com
Pratt & Whitney vice-president Andrew Tanner told Bloomberg that the company is getting ready to build the first two engines for Mitsubishi's first flight test aircraft.
"As we get more into the program and get further closer to flight testing, we'll have to increase the size of that team," Tanner said.
As part of the plan, the engine manufacturer will triple the size of its Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ) engines team in Japan from about four by the first flight that is scheduled for 2015.
The company also aims to complete certification of the engine by the end of 2014.
The MRJ will be the launch platform for the PurePower PW1000G engine with Geared Turbofan technology that results in reduced fuel burn, environmental emissions, engine noise and operating costs.
In August, Mitsubishi Aircraft, a unit of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, announced the delay of the delivery of its first aircraft by nearly a year.
The Japanese aircraft manufacturer has already secured 325 orders, including options, for 78 and 92-seater variants of the aircraft that will let it compete against large companies Bombardier and Embraer in the small aircraft market.
Airbus, Bombardier, Embraer, and Irkut have also placed orders for Pratt & Whitney's turbofan engine variants.
The engine maker has secured nearly 4,700 firm orders and options, Tanner told Bloomberg.
