Development testing of the extended range Embraer ERJ-145XR will move into the second and final phase following the maiden flight of the first production standard aircraft, due last week as Flight International went to press. At the same time detailed design work on the Embraer 195 has started with the recent completion of the joint definition phase (JDP).
Embraer plans to use the initial production ERJ-145XR to complete flight testing ahead of US Federal Aviation Administration type certification planned for September. The aircraft will be used for high-speed, flutter, systems, powerplant and fuel, auxiliary power unit and integration tests. Continental Express has ordered 104 of the 1,100km- (2,000nm) range jets, with options on another 100.
So far 60% of scheduled flight testing has been completed since the first flight last June of a modified ERJ-145ER.
The aircraft has been used for performance, flying qualities and anti-ice system testing. The XR has a reinforced fuselage for increased operating weight, uprated Rolls-Royce AE3007A1E engines, winglets and an auxiliary fuel tank in the wing-fuselage fairing.
JDP completion clears the way for detailed design of the 195 to start, with 95 digital mock-up models ready for detailing. At the same time, 85% of the interface drawings between Embraer and its 170/190 programme risk-sharing partners are now in place, with 15% defined but not agreed. The programme has clocked up almost 1,000h of subsonic and transonic windtunnel testing.
Flight testing of the baseline 170 is gathering momentum as Embraer reiterates its determination to certificate the 70-seater by year-end. The initial aircraft has completed 27h and 17 sorties since the first flight on 19 February. The aircraft's flight envelope has been cleared to 25,000ft (7,600m) and Mach 0.75.
A second aircraft is set to fly shortly and will be joined by four more before mid-year, while testing on an aircraft has begun. Fatigue testing, to start shortly, will run for two-and-a-half years.
Source: Flight International
