MHI to Commence Single-piece Manufacturing of Fuel Tank Domes for H-IIB Rocket; Enhancement of the Rocket's Competitiveness through Higher Reliability, Reduced Cost and Lighter Weight.

Tokyo, Japan, June 20, 2006 - (JCN Newswire) - Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI; TSE: 7011) has established a proprietary technology enabling the manufacture, as a single piece, of the upper and lower domes of liquid- oxygen and liquid-hydrogen fuel tanks for the H-IIB, Japan's next-generation flagship rocket scheduled for initial launching in fiscal 2008. Production of a full-sized trial unit got under way today. Until now, one-piece manufacturing of this kind had been possible by only two manufacturers worldwide, one in the U.S. and the other in Europe.

The ceremony to celebrate the completion of the manufacturing facility, located at MHI's Hiroshima Machinery Works, was also held today. Among those in attendance were Hiroshima Governor Yuzan Fujita; Hiroshima Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba; Jiro Kouchiyama, Executive Director of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA); and Nobuo Toda, Executive Vice President and General Manager of MHI's Aerospace Headquarters.

The H-IIB is currently under joint development by JAXA and MHI as an enhanced version of the H-IIA, the present flagship rocket. The H-IIB, featuring two LE-7A rocket engines for the first stage firing (vs. a single LE-7A engine for the first stage firing of the H-IIA), larger fuel tanks for the first stage engines (tank diameter expanded from 4 to 5.2 meters) and longer rocket length (by 1 meter), will have a maximum launching capacity of 8-ton payloads, twice that of the H-IIA. The H-IIB is expected to be deployed for launching the H-II Transfer Vehicle* (HTV) that will transport materials to the international space station. It will also enable launching of multiple satellites with a single rocket, and is envisaged to enhance the H-IIB's competitiveness in the satellite launch market by largely reducing launching costs.

The fuel tanks constitute the bulk share of the rocket's volume and are a key component of ultra low-temperature technology. Among the various tank parts, domes in particular are of supreme importance in terms of cost and product quality requirements. However, in the absence of the requisite technology for single-piece manufacturing of tank domes, until now imported domes had to be procured for manufacturing the H-IIA, and attainment of the needed technology was long a challenge that had to be overcome in order to secure independent production capability.

Domestic production of the domes was accomplished by combining basic research carried out at MHI's Nagoya Aerospace Systems Works and machining technology cultivated through metals machinery production at the Hiroshima Machinery Works. With this achievement, MHI will contribute significantly not only to the attainment of autonomous domestic rocket production but also to enhanced competitiveness in rocketry through higher product quality and lower cost.

The rocket tank dome, with a diameter of 5.2 meters, is the world's largest single-piece dome. In manufacturing domes, a huge aluminum alloy plate is placed onto a bowl-shaped mandrel, a special metal tool, and the plate is formed into dome shape by pressing it on the mandrel by a computer-controlled processing roller as the plate and mandrel are spun simultaneously. In tandem with that process, heat treatment and machining are performed repeatedly until the dome is distortion-free and of rigid strength. Completed domes are transferred to the Tobishima Plant of the Nagoya Aerospace Systems Works, where they are assembled together with a cylinder to achieve the final tank.

Design and basic construction work for the dome production facility at the Kan-on Plant of the Hiroshima Machinery Works commenced in March 2005. The facility uses Japan's largest spinning forming machine and heat treatment equipment, as well as today's most advanced cleaning system and two ultra-large machine tools that were converted to dedicated dome- processing machinery.

MHI is strengthening and expanding its aerospace business as a core growth segment within the company's 2006 medium-term business plan, and is also cultivating aerospace products to serve as products that will support next-generation business operations. The Hiroshima Machinery Works, which has been engaged in aircraft parts assembly since 1992, will now be undertaking space product manufacturing as well, together with the Nagoya Aerospace Systems Works, MHI's main plant for aerospace production, and the Nagoya Guidance & Propulsion Systems Works. Elsewhere, the Shimonoseki Shipyard & Machinery Works is involved in the manufacture of aircraft products: specifically, stringers for Boeing 787 wing boxes.

Note: The H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV) is designated to transport up to 6 tons of supplies to astronauts in the space station, including food, clothing and experimental equipment.

About Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. ('MHI'; TSE: 7011), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is one of the world's leading heavy machinery manufacturers, with consolidated sales of 2,792 billion yen in fiscal 2005 (ended March 31, 2006). MHI's diverse lineup of products and services encompasses shipbuilding, steel structures, power plants, chemical plants, environmental equipment, industrial and general machinery, aircraft, space rocketry and air-conditioning systems. For more information, please visit the MHI website (http://www.mhi.co.jp).

Source: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.

Contact:

Hideo Ikuno: [e-mail]
Tel: [phone], Fax: [phone]
Daiya PR (in charge of public relations for Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.)

Copyright [c] 2006 JCN Newswire. All rights reserved. A division of Japan Corporate News Network K.K.