Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is Japan's largest aerospace manufacturer and a premier collaborator with Boeing, Bombardier, Lockheed Martin and others on fighters, business, regional and commercial jets. But it hasn't built a commercial airplane of its own for more than three decades and its last attempt, a turboprop, was an economic disaster.

Now the company is poised to put itself - and Japan - back in the business of designing and building commercial aircraft. The board of directors has granted its aerospace business unit authority to offer the Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ) to airlines. By about Apr. 1, the start of fiscal 2008 in Japan, a formal launch decision is expected, says Senior Vice President Nobuo Toda, a member of the board and director of the MRJ project.

The Japanese government is expected to foot a substantial portion of the estimated $1.9-billion development cost, although Toda says the specific contribution is still being negotiated. Early this month Toyota Motor Corp. confirmed that it was considering a substantial investment in the project, and a Mitsubishi official says the company is in talks with several other potential Japanese investors.

A go-ahead this spring would pave the way for flight testing in late 2011 with certification and delivery set for early 2013. The four-abreast jet will be offered in two sizes, the 70-seat MRJ70 and 90-seat MRJ90, each with extended range and long-range variants (see table, p. 70).

By launching the MRJ, Mitsubishi would be mounting a head-on challenge to Brazil's Embraer and Canada's Bombardier, the two companies that dominate the regional jet business and are profiting from booming orders (AW&ST Feb. 25, p. 42). But the Japanese are hardly unique in regarding regional jets as a good entry point for their aviation aspirations.

China has made clear that it, too, has broad ambitions in jet manufacturing, starting small with the 70-seat ARJ21-700. The aircraft was expected to enter flight testing this month but its schedule has slipped. Certification is now anticipated in mid-2009 (AW&ST Sept. 17, 2007, p. 76). Russia's big aerospace industry also is looking at regional jets as its entry point, with the Sukhoi Super Jet 100 due to begin flight testing this spring (AW&ST Feb. 4, p. 34).

Mitsubishi is confident the technology and stylish passenger cabin incorporated into the MRJ will position it a notch above the other newcomers. The regional jet offerings from China and Russia "are not a serious threat to our plane," Toda maintains.

The MRJ is being designed to tackle the twin challenges of soaring oil prices (currently more than $100 per barrel) and the mounting pressure to reduce emissions from commercial jets. After studying CFM International's LEAP56 engine technology research and Rolls-Royce's RB282 effort, the company gave Pratt & Whitney a boost by selecting its geared turbofan (GTF) to power the new jets (see p. 72).

Coupled with improved aerodynamics, Mitsubishi expects the GTF-powered MRJ to offer a 20-30% reduction in fuel consumption over current-generation competitors, along with reduced CO2 and NOx emissions. The jet is designed to meet the International Civil Aviation Authority's most stringent noise requirement (Chapter 4) and emissions rating (CAEP 6). "This should be the world's greenest aircraft," says Toda.

And, the company points out, this aim for lower operating costs does not come at the expense of the passenger. Although thinner seats will be used to provide more leg room, they are reported to be extremely comfortable. Roomy overhead bins and big windows round out the presentation.