download the new Space Jet: Галактичні війни

LNA’s analysis of the redesign concluded that the airplane had a double-digit advantage vs the E1 and single-digit vs the E2. Redesigns of the MRJ70 added passengers, shaved weight and updated the interior. It also was designed to carry too few passengers, which made it uncompetitive with the Embraer E175-E2 and the legacy E175-E1.

This airplane had not only the same fundamental design shortcomings as the larger MRJ90. They recognized the MRJ90 was unsavable and wanted to discontinue development of the MRJ90 in favor of redesigning the smaller MRJ70. The Western team recruited to save the program came from Bombardier, Embraer and Boeing. The insurmountable problems with MRJ90 led to repeated delays and billions of dollars in cost overruns. Even so, the aircraft remained outside the US labor contract Scope Clause requirements related to weight the MRJ90 was too heavy. This led to the need to alter certain crucial designs of the MRJ90. They didn’t have the knowledge to undertake a full airplane program with all the integration, regulatory and certification requirements required. The MRJ90 was uncertifiable as designed, due to inexperience by MITAC’s staff. The references in the slide are accurate-as far as they go. MHI’s slide detailing why it terminated the SpaceJet program focused on the MRJ90 and ignored the redesigned, certifiable model, the M100 SpaceJet. Thus, the slide in MHI’s presentation about why the program was finally being killed was more candid than expected. Instead, officials said repeatedly that the program was “paused.” This drip, drip, drip was all about saving face. Then, in May 2020, using the COVID pandemic as an excuse, all US operations were closed so was the recently opened Canadian engineering center the budget was reduced by 95% and nearly all the engineers at the home office in Nagoya, Japan, were laid off or reassigned. This was apparent as far back as January 2020 when all the Canadian and American leadership at Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp (MITAC) was unceremoniously booted out. 9, 2023, © Leeham News: Mitsubishi Heavy Industry’s (MHI) announcement this week that it finally killed the SpaceJet program is hardly new. The M100 was Scope Clause compliant and certifiable, unlike the poorly conceived MRJ90.

The Mitsubishi MRJ90, rebranded the SpaceJet, was to be replaced by the M100.

Download the new Space Jet: Галактичні війни