First Pratt & Whitney GTF Engine Produced in Japan Joins Flight Tests

The first Pratt & Whitney GTF PW1200G engine assembled in Japan has completed its maiden flight.

The flight was completed in the United States at the Mitsubishi Aircraft’s Flight Test Center in Moses Lake, WA, and was performed by the company’s Flight Test Aircraft 1 (FTA1).

"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.

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 now scheduled to join the flight test fleet in the coming weeks.

Katsuyuki Shimauchi, the President & CEO of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Aero Engines, Ltd., said, "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, said, “Congratulations to the team on this important achievement. We are proud to see the revolutionary GTF technology taking flight after being assembled in Japan."

See latest Travel News, Interviews, Podcasts and other news regarding: Mitsubishi, Engine.