GE Honda announced at the NBAA convention in Orlando this week that its HF120 engine will soon have a retrofit for the CitationJet, the CJ1 and the CJ1+. The retrofit STC will be carried out by Sierra Industries, a well-known Texas-based mod house with wide experience in the Citation line.
GE Honda claims the HF120 will provide the Citations with improved performance and productivity. The project is called the Saphire mod and will include a FADEC system and other modifications to modernize these older aircraft, which can be found a bargain prices on the used market.
Meanwhile, production of the HF120 continues apace at GE’s facility in Lynn, Massachusetts. The first completed ship set for the HondaJet was delivered in May and GE Honda says it has shipped 10 engines to Honda Aero’s new production plant in Burlington, North Carolina. The HF120 is rated at 2095 pounds of thrust and uses advanced materials in its high-pressure turbine section.
