The UK's Mirus Aircraft Seating has made history by opening the country's largest commercially available crash test facility. Unveiled today, it is also the most advanced of its kind in the country and represents an expansion of Mirus' existing facilities just outside Norwich in Norfolk. The company is hosting an opening event for the brand-new test facility today, at which Simple Flying is in attendance.

The biggest and best

Mirus' present headquarters, which are situated on the eastern outskirts of the Norfolk town of Hingham, are already sizeable, clocking in at some 2,500 square meters. Its new high-tech testing center adds another 407 square meters to its footprint and will help foster a recruitment drive at the company. Ben McGuire, who serves as the Chief Executive Officer for Mirus Aircraft Seating, states,

"The addition of our very own in-house testing facility is a momentous milestone for Mirus and a significant investment into the local economy. (...) The £4million plus investment in the Norfolk economy, in partnership with the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership Growing Business Fund, also means we will be recruiting on a large scale within Norfolk and the surrounding region."

Mirus Aircraft Seating Sled
Photo: Mirus Aircraft Seating

Check out all the latest European aviation news here!

The specialized crash testing area, known as M-TEST, features the latest technology from the sector, giving it "the greatest capacity currently in the market." As pictured above, among its most notable features is a dynamic test sled which, as well as for aviation, can also be used by automotive, motorsport, and rail companies.

Sledding to success

Clocking in at 30 meters in length, the sled will be able to put seats to the test by simulating the impact of both destructive and non-destructive crash situations. Its presence puts Mirus' testing facilities among the most advanced in all of Europe and helps to expedite the company's development processes. George Freeman, the local MP for Mid Norfolk, stated that,

"Mirus is one of a cluster of world class engineering and advanced manufacturing companies here on the Cambridge-Norwich Innovation Corridor, being at the frontline of the Net Zero Green industrial revolution – reducing emission and driving green growth through its R&D investment in lightweight aircraft seats and equipment."

Mirus Aircraft Seating
Photo: Mirus Aircraft Seating

As well as using the sled and other M-TEST technology to further its own innovation, Mirus also hopes that other companies will be able to benefit from its new facilities. The company adds that "pending capacity, Mirus has the capability to lend M-TEST services to external domestic and international parties," with McGuire noting that it will "deliver a solution to the increased demand for sled testing within the UK."

A long time coming

The opening of Mirus Aircraft Seating's new testing facilities represents the end of a long road for the Norfolk-based company. Indeed, plans for M-TEST have been in the works for several years, with Simple Flying having talked to McGuire in the project's earlier stages back in 2021. At just eight years old, Mirus remains a relative newcomer, but M-TEST will surely give it an excellent platform from which to build.