One year after the end of the SpaceJet program, Japan has revealed its new aspirations in the aeronautics industry with the announcement of an ambitious project: the construction of an airliner using advanced energy technologies. Scheduled for commercialization after 2035, this aircraft could be powered by hybrid-electric or hydrogen technology, marking a significant step towards sustainability in the aeronautical sector.
According to Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (Meti), this project requires joint public and private sector investment estimated at 5,000 billion yen (over 30 billion euros) over the next decade. The aim is to revolutionize Japan's aeronautical sector by incorporating major environmental innovations into the design of a commercial aircraft.
Japan hopes to learn from the SpaceJet project, whose development was hampered by technical challenges and regulatory obstacles, exacerbated by the repercussions of the Covid-19 pandemic. With government support mainly focused on research, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) bore the bulk of the costs of the program, which was finally abandoned in February 2023 after an investment of over eight billion euros.
This new commitment to aeronautical development comes at a time when China is advancing its own commercial aircraft, the C919, aimed at competing with the giants Airbus and Boeing. By launching this sustainable airliner project, Japan seeks not only to reclaim its place in the global aeronautics sector, but also to contribute to the global effort to reduce the carbon footprint of air transport.
Source: Air Journal
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