Toyota Could Invest Into The Mitsubishi Regional Jet
46 years ago Japan had their own domestically built passenger aircraft, the NAMC YS-11. It was a turbo prop aircraft that seated 64 passengers and would cruise at 22,900 feet at 282 MPH with a range of 1,367 miles. The reign of production was carried out for 12 years, from 1962 to 1974. Recently, on Sept. 30th, 2006, marked the last flight of the YS-11. Slowly over time, Canada’s Bombardier and Brazil’s Empresa Brasileira have overtaken Japan in the passenger jet market. It is now recognized that Toyota might get their hands into the aircraft market.
Toyota Motor Corp. has an interest in investing into the passenger aircraft market. It has been reported that they have their eyes on helping fund Mitsubishi Heavy Industries LTD, with the development of a new airplane called, The Mitsubishi Regional Jet. According to Hiromi Hirooka, a Toyota spokeswoman, “Nothing has been decided yet”. According to Yuichi Ishida, an analyst at Mizuho Investors Securities Co. it would take 100 airplanes built to absorb to development costs.
If all parties concerned can pull the project together, Japan will have the first domestic airplane in production since 1974. The MRJ, or Mitsubishi Regional Jet would carry around 70 to 90 passengers and would be equipped with similar carbon-fiber wings as found on the newer Boeing 787, and would make use of the model of United Technologies Corp. Pratt & Whitney engines that have fans which spin independent from the main turbine which is projected to help reduce fuel costs.
Future manufactures with aircraft development plans includes Honda Motor Co. which plan to develop a smaller 8 passenger jet called, The HondaJet, that will start delivers to the U.S. sometime in 2010. Regarding The MRJ, a decision to push forward with the program will be made by the end of this month.
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Tags: Boeing 787, Carbon-Fiber Wing, Honda Motor Co, HondaJet, Mitsubishi Aircraft, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries LTD, Mitsubishi Heavy Jet, Mitsubishi Regional Jet, NAMC YS-11, Pratt & Whitney, Toyota Aircraft, Toyota Jet, Toyota Jet Project, Toyota Motor Corp, United Technologies Corp
Filed under: Aviation News
