Mitsubishi
Mitsubishi Aircraft has successfully completed the maiden flight of the FTV 10. Credit: Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation.

Mitsubishi Aircraft has successfully conducted the maiden flight of the SpaceJet Flight Test Vehicle 10 (FTV10).

The vehicle is the first Mitsubishi SpaceJet M90 in its final and certifiable baseline configuration.

The vehicle took-off from Japan’s Prefectural Nagoya Airport and returned to the base after remaining airborne for nearly two hours.

Mitsubishi Aircraft president Hisakazu Mizutani said: “I am very pleased that FTV10, which was handed over from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in January this year, successfully conducted its first flight today.

“I would like to express my deepest gratitude to all those who are continuously supporting the programme. We are excited about this latest step in the certification of the Mitsubishi SpaceJet M90.”

During the flight test, basic aircraft performance tests were carried out under normal operating conditions over the Pacific Ocean. The flight was piloted by Hiroyoshi Takase and Akira Udagawa.

The SpaceJet M90 is the first commercial jet to be manufactured in Japan.

The successful completion of the maiden flight paves way for the SpaceJet M90 to enter the final phase of certification flight testing.

The aircraft will be put through flight tests in the next few weeks.

It will soon join the remaining SpaceJet M90 test fleet at the Moses Lake Flight Test Center (MFC).

Mitsubishi Aircraft chief development officer Alex Bellamy said: “Today’s announcement is especially encouraging, as it marks the start of certification flight testing for the first SpaceJet M90 in its final certifiable configuration.

“We are all proud of this latest accomplishment, which reflects the hard work of a dedicated team, the culmination of an organisational transformation and all of the engineering changes made since 2016. We look forward to continuing our progress toward commercial certification of the M90 programme.”