The Mitsubishi MH 2000 is a 7/12 seat light
utility helicopter
A utility helicopter is a multi-purpose helicopter capable of fulfilling many different roles.
Civil
Many civilian helicopters are made for utility work such as agricultural aircraft. Many police and fire departments maintain and operate utili ...
. Low levels of interest in the aircraft forced Mitsubishi to halt sales of MH2000 in September 2004.
Design and development
The MH2000 is Japan's first indigenous helicopter with
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
is a Japanese multinational engineering, electrical equipment and electronics corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. MHI is one of the core companies of the Mitsubishi Group and its automobile division is the predecessor of Mitsubishi Mo ...
(MHI) having sole responsibility for developing and manufacturing the fuselage and engines.
In the development of the MH2000, MHI aimed for safety, economy and low noise levels. The program was launched in 1995 to fulfill a variety of missions, include passenger and business transport,
law enforcement
Law enforcement is the activity of some members of government who act in an organized manner to enforce the law by discovering, deterring, rehabilitating, or punishing people who violate the rules and norms governing that society. The term en ...
, search and rescue and
emergency medical services
Emergency medical services (EMS), also known as ambulance services or paramedic services, are emergency services that provide urgent pre-hospital treatment and stabilisation for serious illness and injuries and transport to definitive care. ...
.
The first of four developmental aircraft first flew on 29 July 1996, the second flying later that year and the remaining two used for ground testing. The MH2000 has its engine module and dynamic system positioned behind the cabin section to minimize sound levels in the passenger compartment. Power is provided by a pair of
Mitsubishi MG5-100 turboshaft engine
A turboshaft engine is a form of gas turbine that is optimized to produce shaftpower rather than jet thrust. In concept, turboshaft engines are very similar to turbojets, with additional turbine expansion to extract heat energy from the exhaust ...
s.
The first production model was delivered on October 1, 2000, to Excel air service in Japan. The loss of one prototype due to tail rotor blade separation led to suspension of type certificate and redesign of tail rotor. Delivered craft were modified with the new rotor and all further craft will be delivered with the new tail rotor.
Specifications
References
World aircraft information files brightstar publishing London sheet 34 file 901
External links
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Technical Review "Development of Commercial Helicopter MH 2000" (Japanese)*
ttp://dspace-erf.nlr.nl/xmlui/bitstream/handle/20.500.11881/409/ERF200223.pdf Development of Mitsubishi MH2000 Helicopter – ERF Document RepositoryFLUG REVUE Datafiles: Mitsubishi MH2000
{{Mitsubishi aircraft
1990s Japanese helicopters
1990s Japanese civil utility aircraft
MH2000
MH or mH may refer to:
Businesses and organizations
* Malaysia Airlines, by IATA airline designator
* Menntaskólinn við Hamrahlíð, a gymnasium in Reykjavík, Iceland
* Miami Heat, an NBA basketball team
Places
* Mahalle, (abbreviated mh. on ...
Aircraft first flown in 1996