BAE Systems announced today at the European Regions Airlines Association Annual General Assembly in Barcelona that it has signed a new multi-year Agreement with Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation of Japan under which it initially will provide engineering development and integration services related to flight test equipment and systems for the next-generation Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ) aircraft.

This new contract builds upon an existing contract under which a team from BAE Systems' Regional Aircraft business at Prestwick in Scotland is providing engineering expertise on a number of work packages for the aircraft which include powerplant, pylon, nacelle, auxiliary power units and fuel systems.

Supporting this existing contract BAE Systems has liaison support personnel located at the Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation headquarters at Nagoya, Japan, at Pratt and Whitney's facility in Hartford, Connecticut, USA and at LMI Aerospace's facility in San Diego, California, USA.

The MRJ aircraft, a 70-90-seat family of twin-engined regional jets, will be powered by Pratt and Whitney PurePower® PW1000G engines. First flight is scheduled for 2012, with entry into service planned for 2014. Current customers for the MRJ are All Nippon Airways and Trans States Holdings of the USA.

Alan Fraser, Managing Director of BAE Systems Regional Aircraft, welcomed this new contract and said:

"We are delighted to build upon our initial engineering contract with Mitsubishi with this new contract which we hope will broaden our relationship with the customer and allow us to contribute further to the MRJ programme. A follow on contract is always a good sign of a developing business relationship and the building of trust. We have a strong track record of experience and expertise which allows us to build upon our existing capabilities and leverage them on to the next generation of aircraft."

Mr. Shoji Amano, Vice President Supply Chain Management of Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation added: "We are aiming to have a strong and firm position in the future regional jet market and are pleased to work with BAE Systems to take advantage of their wide experience and knowledge in this area. We look forward to further co-operation with BAE Systems to help achieve our goals."