Mitsubishi MU-2
| Mitsubishi MU-2 | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Type: | Multi- purpose turboprop aircraft |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
September 14, 1963 |
| Commissioning: |
1963 |
| Production time: |
1956-1986 |
| Number of pieces: |
over 800 |
The Mitsubishi MU-2 is a light twin-engine turboprop aircraft produced by the Japanese manufacturer Mitsubishi . The machine, designed as a high-decker and equipped with a pressurized cabin , is the company's first post-war design. The standard version could carry seven passengers, the stretched version eleven passengers.
history
The development of the MU-2, which was to take over both civil and military tasks, began in 1956. The first flight took place on September 14, 1963.
In 1965 Mitsubishi set up a branch in San Angelo , Texas , from which North American customers were to be supplied. More than 800 units had been built at both production sites by 1986.
Versions
Four prototypes were built, two each for the ground and two for the flight tests. This and the aircraft of the first production model MU-2A had two Turboméca Astazou IIK turboprop engines, which were suspended from pylons under the wing.
From version MU-2B, the Garrett TPE331 engine was used. 34 of this version were built, and a further eighteen of the only slightly modified MU-2D. The Japanese armed forces bought four MU-2C without pressurized cabin and sixteen MU-2E intended for rescue operations. Of the MU-2F equipped with more powerful TPE331 motors, 95 machines were sold.
The MU-2G from 1969 (46 units) was the first variant with an elongated fuselage. The 83 copies of the MU-2M again had a short fuselage, but the same engines as the 108 stretched MU-2J. This is followed by the more powerfully motorized MU-2K and then the MU-2P, which had four-blade propellers. The last MU-2 with short fuselage, the "Solitaire", received Garrett TPE331-10-501M engines.
The stretched variants include 29 MU-2L with a higher take-off weight, 39 MU-2N with more powerful engines and four-bladed propellers and the MU-2 “Marquise”, which received the same drive as the “Solitaire”.
Military versions
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The Japanese armed forces procured the MU-2 as the only force. The versions C and K were given the designation LR-1 and were used as liaison and reconnaissance aircraft. The E version was used as a rescue aircraft under the new abbreviation MU-2S . These military aircraft have a radome on the bow, higher fuel capacity, bulging observation windows and a sliding door for the release of liferafts.
Some civilian MU-2s were used in the United States for military pilot training.
Military users
Incidents
In January 1996, when an MU-2 crashed near Malad City, all inmates were killed, including four board members of the beverage bottler Swire Coca-Cola US .
On March 29, 2016, the French-Canadian politician ( Liberal Party ) and radio journalist Jean Lapierre and four other family members died on the way to the funeral of his father in the crash shortly before the Îles-de-la-Madeleine airport in Havre-aux-Maisons ( Magdalen Islands ).
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data (MU-2B) |
|---|---|
| crew | 1-2 |
| Passengers | Max. 9 |
| length | 10.13 m |
| span | 11.94 m |
| height | 3.94 m |
| Wing area | 16.5 m² |
| Empty mass | 3120 kg / 3440 kg |
| Takeoff mass | 4750 kg / 5250 kg |
| Top speed | 550 km / h |
| Range | 1930 km |
| Engines | 2 × Garrett TPE331-252 turboprop with 490 kW / 552 kW each |
See also
- Aero Commander 500
- Cessna 425 Conquest I.
- Cessna 441 Conquest II
- Piper PA-31T Cheyenne
- Beechcraft King Air
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Air crash: Ex-Minister Lapierre dies on the way to the funeral , spiegel.de of March 30, 2016, accessed on January 16, 2017