A mockup was unveiled by Honda Aircraft Company at NBAA-BACE 2021, presenting the HondaJet 2600 concept, which it described as the next generation of business jet. The mockup was displayed to collect customer feedback and validate market demand.
The concept inherits Honda Aircraft aeronautical technologies including the Over-The-Wing Engine Mount (OTWEM) configuration, Natural Laminar Flow technology on wings and fuselage nose, and carbon composite fuselage. The company said that through the further refinement of these foundational HondaJet technologies, the HondaJet 2600 will be the world’s first light jet capable of non-stop transcontinental flight across the USA. The cabin is designed to be quiet and spacious, suited for long-range travel, seating up to 11 occupants.
The company said the OTWEM configuration enables the concept to offer significantly more passenger space as well as greatly reduced vibration compared with conventional light jets. It added that the HondaJet 2600 has the tallest cabin height, and offers a cabin altitude of 6,363ft at its maximum operating altitude of 47,000ft. The aircraft will offer three types of modular and highly customisable cabin configurations.
The HondaJet 2600 specification includes a range of 2,625 nautical miles, a high-speed cruise of 450 knots and a ceiling of 47,000ft. It is a transcontinental jet designed for single-pilot operation, with the cockpit incorporating technologies such as electrification and automated systems, including autothrottle and autobrake, among others. Honda Aircraft said it will offer the utmost operational safety by reducing pilot workload through an intuitive, high-tech interface. The company also said the aircraft will have up to 20% better fuel efficiency than typical light jets, and be over 40% more fuel efficient than a mid-size jet during a typical mission.
When introducing the HondaJet 2600 concept mock-up at NBAA-BACE 2021, Honda Aircraft Company president and CEO Michimasa Fujino stated, “Over the past five years, we introduced the HondaJet Elite, then the Elite S, to further enhance the original HondaJet design. 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.”
