Honda Tests New Aircraft Concept

Honda Aircraft Company introduced its new HondaJet 2600 business jet concept at the 2021 NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE) on Monday. According to the company, the concept—including a full-size mock-up—is on display to "collect customer feedback and validate market demand." The aircraft will feature Honda's over-the-wing engine mount (OTWEM) configuration, natural laminar flow (NLF) technology on the wings and nose and a carbon composite fuselage.

“Over the past five years, we introduced the HondaJet Elite, then the Elite S, to further enhance the original HondaJet design," said Honda Aircraft Company President and CEO Michimasa Fujino. "Now, we are validating market demand as we unveil a new aircraft concept in a different segment from the original HondaJet. With the HondaJet 2600 Concept, which enables efficient transcontinental flight, offers new level of cabin comfort and capacity, and dramatically reduces CO2 emissions, we are introducing a new generation of business jets.”

The HondaJet 2600 is expected to have a range of 2,625 nautical miles, high speed cruise of 450 knots and maximum cruise altitude of 47,000 feet. Designed for single-pilot operation, the aircraft will include systems such as autothrottle and autobrake, an advanced steering augmentation system (ASAS) and runway overrun awareness and alerting system (ROAAS). It will come equipped with a customized avionics suite based on the Garmin G3000 and offer three types of modular, customizable cabin configurations.