Japan's Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) has announced a fundamental shift in its aerospace policy, away from subsidising the long running YSX regional aircraft study towards supporting new component and subsystem technology.
MITI's aerospace industry funding request for fiscal year 1999/ 2000 includes some ´800 million ($5.5 million) for new cost cutting technical developments. Japanese industry traditionally matches the ministry's funding with a similar amount of private money.
Planned areas of research include composite wing manufacturing, cockpit systems, fly-by-wire flight controls, landing gear, better engine efficiency and reduced emissions.
MITI now plans to reduce further the amount of funding available for the stalled YSX programme to around only ´150 million, down from a peak of ´2.4 billion in 1995. Japan Aircraft Development insists that work on the project will continue, although the focus of its study has now switched back from a 110-seat regional jet to an 80-seat aircraft.
The move brings the project in line with a similarly sized twinjet being studied by Mitsubishi.
Source: Flight International