Mitsubishi MU-2

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Image:Mitsubishi Mu-2.jpg The Mitsubishi MU-2 is one of postwar Japan's most successful aircraft. It is a high-wing, twin-engine turboprop, and has a pressurized cabin. The name comes from the letter Mu (μ) in the Greek alphabet.

1 Development
2 Production
3 Military service
4 Safety Concerns
5 Specifications (MU-2B)
6 References
7 Related content

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Development

Work on the MU-2, Mitsubishi's first postwar aircraft design, began in 1956. Designed as a light twin turboprop transport suitable for a variety of civil and military roles, the MU-2 first flew on September 14, 1963. This first MU-2, and the three MU-2As built, were powered by Turbomeca Astazou turboprop<ref name=mondey>Template:Cite book</ref>.

Civil MU-2s powered by Garret engines were certified as variants of the MU-2B, using the MU-2B type followed by a number. For marketing purposes, each variant was given a suffix letter; the MU-2B-10, for example, was sold as the MU-2D, while the MU-2B-36A was marketed as the MU-2N<ref name=airliners.net>Template:Cite web</ref>.

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Production

In 1965, Mitsubishi established a production facility for the MU-2 in San Angelo, Texas,<ref name=mondey /> producing aircraft North American buyers. When MU-2 production ended in 1986, aircraft were no longer assembled in Japan. Instead, the San Angelo Mitsubishi International factory had been building aircraft using American avionics and airframe components shipped from Mitsubishi's facilities in Japan.

The subsequent production aircraft, designated MU-2B, were delivered with the Garrett TPE331 engines that remained standard on all later models. 34 MU-2Bs were built, followed by 18 examples of the similar MU-2D<ref name=mondey />. The Japanese armed forces purchased four unpressurized MU-2Cs and 16 search and rescue variants designated MU-2E. Featuring slightly more powerful uprated TPE331 engines, 95 examples of the MU-2F were sold.

The fuselage was stretched beginning with the MU-2G; these aircraft are covered in later paragraphs. The MU-2M (83 built) had a short fuselage and the same engines as the stretched MU-2J; it was followed by the even more powerful MU-2K and later the MU-2P, which had newer four-bladed propellers. The final short-fuselage MU-2s produced were known as the Solitaire and were fitted with 715 shp Garret TPE331-10-501M engines.<ref name=mondey />

Image:Mitsubishi.mu2.id.jpg The first significant change to the airframe came with the stretched MU-2G, first flying January 10, 1969, which featured a 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) longer fuselage than earlier models; 46 were built before being succeeded by the more powerful MU-2J (108 constructed). The MU-2L (29 built) was a higher-gross-weight variant, followed by the MU-2N (39 built) with uprated engines and four-bladed propellers. The final stretched-fuselage MU-2 was named the Marquise, and like the Solitaire used 715 shp TPE331 engines.<ref name=mondey />

As of 2005, 397 MU-2 aircraft are registered in the United States.

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Military service

The Japanese Self-Defense Forces are the only military operators to have flown the MU-2. The four C-model aircraft built, in addition to 16 MU-2Ks, entered service with the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force with the designation LR-1; they were used as liaison and photo reconnaissance aircraft. 29 MU-2Es were purchased by the Japan Air Self-Defence Force as search-and-rescue aircraft and designated MU-2S. Additional equipment consisted of a "thimble" nose radome, increased fuel capacity, bulged observation windows, and a sliding door for dropping rafts.<ref name=airliners.net />

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Safety Concerns

The safety of the MU-2 has been questioned; it was involved in 11 accidents over an 18 month period, with a total of 12 fatalities. As of October 2005, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has begun a safety evaluation of the aircraft.

From an FAA press release:

The FAA began an aggressive safety evaluation in July 2005. The evaluation is performing a detailed review of accidents, incidents, airworthiness directives, service difficulty reports, safety recommendations and safety reports. It also is examining pilot training requirements, the history of the aircraft's commercial operators and possible engine problems. The goal is to identify the root causes of MU-2 accidents and incidents and determine what, if any, additional safety actions are needed.

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