Overview
Mitsubishi’s postwar aircraft line is known in general aviation for one type: the MU-2, a fast, pressurized twin turboprop built from the mid-1960s into the mid-1980s. This entry covers that aircraft business: the MU-2 designed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and assembled for the North American market in Texas. It is a separate concern from the modern Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation, the company formed in 2008 to build the SpaceJet (MRJ) regional jet, a program cancelled in 2023 that never entered airline service. In our catalogue, “Mitsubishi” refers to the MU-2.
Heritage
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries flew the first MU-2 in 1963, a compact high-wing turboprop aimed at the executive and utility market. US assembly and marketing ran through Mitsubishi Aircraft International, which completed and sold aircraft from San Angelo, Texas, and later Addison – airframes finished there carry an “SA” serial suffix. Production ran through a long series of short- and long-body variants, ending with the MU-2B-40 Solitaire and MU-2B-60 Marquise in the mid-1980s. Roughly 700 MU-2s were built in all before the line closed.
Design Signature
The MU-2 makes its speed a different way than its competitors. A high-mounted wing carries full-span flaps, so roll control comes from spoilers rather than ailerons, and the small, highly loaded wing stays clean enough to cruise faster than many larger turboprops on less fuel. Garrett (now Honeywell) TPE331 engines power the type throughout its range. That efficiency came with a reputation: an early accident record led the FAA to require type-specific training, now codified at 14 CFR Part 91 Subpart N, that every MU-2 pilot must complete and keep current.
For Owners
Today, buying an MU-2 means acquiring an out-of-production airframe from the 1960s-to-1980s production run, supported by a dedicated type club and specialist network, not a factory. It rewards an owner who flies often and trains seriously with turboprop speed and pressurization at a used price below a comparable King Air. The obligation is the mandatory training regime, disciplined Garrett engine management, and the parts-sourcing realities of an aging fleet.