Honda Aircraft Company showed off a mock-up of its HondaJet 2600 Concept this week at the 2021 NBAA Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition in Las Vegas. The Concept is billed as a next generation light business jet that will be the first capable of flying nonstop across the continental United States.
Introduced as a concept way back in 1997, 150 HondaJets have been delivered to customers as of 2020 and Honda Aircraft has been tweaking the basic design over the years. This latest iteration looks very similar to its predecessors, though it's being about 10 feet longer, has a larger wingspan, twice the baggage space and almost twice the range.
Like the earlier HondaJets, the 2600 shares the same composite fuselage, Over-The-Wing Engine Mount (OTWEM) configuration, and Natural Laminar Flow (NLF) technology on the wings and fuselage nose. Though details on the engines and other upgrades have not been released, Honda says the new jet will have a range of 2,625 nm (3,020 miles, 4,861 km) with a cruising speed of 450 kts (518 mph, 833 km/h) and an operating ceiling of 47,000 ft (14,000 m). In addition, it's billed as being 40 percent more fuel efficient than a mid-size jet and producing 20 percent fewer emissions than a typical light jet.
Inside, there's seating up to 10 passengers plus one crew, and the cabin has three different configurations. Though the flight deck has a co-pilot position, the aircraft can be flown by only one pilot thanks to advanced automated systems, including a high-tech interface, and electrification and automated systems.
"Over the past five years, we introduced the HondaJet Elite, then the Elite S, to further enhance the original HondaJet design," says 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."
Here's Hondas introductory video for the HondaJet 2600 Concept:
Source: Honda Aircraft Company
I think it is impressive Honda took to bold step to challenge the established business jet makers and they did it with clever and efficient design. Furthermore, starting on the small end was a smart way to earn credibility.... followed by naturally upsizing to leverage the platform.
(Now they need to get off their vehicle division arses and do clever EV's rather than partnering with behemoth legacy auto companies like GM.)