Mitsubishi MU-2

In 1956, development on the Mitsubishi MU-2 started. It was the company’s first aircraft design after the Second World War. On September 14, 1963, the MU-2 took to the air for the first time. It was built as a light transport aircraft powered by twin turboprop engines intended for various civil and military uses. The aircraft was produced until 1986 with a total of 704 built.

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The MU-2L version can accommodate one or two pilots and four to twelve passengers on board. It has an external length of 12.01 meters, an external height of 2 meters, and a fuselage diameter of 1.6 meters. It has a tail height of 4.17 meters and a wheelbase of 4.4 meters. The wingspan is 11.94 meters including tip tanks and the wing area is 16.55 square meters. It has an empty weight of 3,433 kg, a maximum payload of 1,726 kg, and a maximum usable fuel capacity of 367 US gal. The maximum takeoff and landing weights are 5,250 kg and 5,000 kg, respectively.

The aircraft is powered by two AiResearch TPE331-6-251M engines. It is a single-shaft turboprop with an integral gearbox, two-stage centrifugal compressor, reverse annular combustors and three-stage axial turbine. Each engine produces a maximum thrust of 776 hp and drives a three-bladed Hartzell HC-B3TN-5/T10178HB-11 fully-feathering reversible constant-speed propellers of 2.29 meters in diameter.

The MU-2 has a maximum cruise speed of 295 knots at 4,175 kg at 15,010 feet and an economical cruise speed of 261 knots at 4,175 kg at 25,000 feet. It has a stall speed of 100 knots with flaps down and a range of 1,260 nautical miles at 25,000 feet with full wing and tip tanks including thirty minutes reserve. It can fly up to 29,590 feet and can climb at a rate of 2,360 feet per minute at sea level. The takeoff run is 661 meters while the landing run is 573 meters.