Aircraft

HondaJet Elite goes greener, farther and quieter

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The HondaJet Elite will come in three color variants: Ice Blue, Ruby Red and Monarch Orange
The HondaJet Elite will come in three color variants: Ice Blue, Ruby Red and Monarch Orange
The HondaJet Elite has capacity for seven occupants including the pilot
Belted lavatory inside the HondaJet Elite
The HondaJet Elite has capacity for seven occupants including the pilot
The HondaJet Elite will come in three color variants: Ice Blue, Ruby Red and Monarch Orange
Range of the HondaJet Elite is listed as 1,437 nautical miles (2,660 km)
The HondaJet Elite will come in three color variants: Ice Blue, Ruby Red and Monarch Orange
The HondaJet Elite has capacity for seven occupants including the pilot
Range of the HondaJet Elite is listed as 1,437 nautical miles (2,660 km)
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The HondaJet is an already impressive piece of aerospace engineering, with a pair of speed records under its belt and what Honda describes as best-in-class efficiency. Now the Japanese company is upping the ante, today announcing the HondaJet Elite, which is claimed to not only fly farther than its competitors, but also fly quieter, with new noise-attenuating technology to keep noise down in the cabin.

Honda attributes the performance of the original HondaJet to its unique configuration. This includes a fuselage crafted from a lightweight composite materials rather than aluminium, and engines mounted over the top of the wings, which, along with the nose, have a Natural Laminar Flow design.

All this is designed to make for a supremely fast, light aircraft with a more spacious cabin, minimal noise and optimal fuel efficiency. These features carry over to the newly announced HondaJet Elite, which is also claimed to be the furthest-flying in its category.

Range is listed as 1,437 nautical miles (1,653 mi, 2,660 km), which Honda says is a 17 percent or 396 km (246 mi) increase on the original. There are no figures on efficiency, but Honda is maintaining its best-in-class stance on that front and says it emits less greenhouse gases than business jets of a similar size.

The HondaJet Elite will come in three color variants: Ice Blue, Ruby Red and Monarch Orange

The HondaJet Elite also features new noise attenuating inlets that line the engines and drown out high frequency noise. The Garmin G3000 avionics system has also been upgraded for better flight planning, stability and safety.

On the luxury side of things, the jet has room for seven occupants, including the pilot, with two-toned executive leather seats, onboard Wi-Fi, full service galley, and even a belted lavatory. The Bongiovi Aviation audio system sees the cabin's interior panels become speakers that adapt their sound to flight conditions.

The HondaJet Elite has capacity for seven occupants including the pilot

Maximum cruise speed is listed as 422 knots (485 mph/781 km/h), while the aircraft has a length of 43 ft (13 m), height of 15 ft (4.5 m) and a wingspan of 40 ft (12 m). The HondaJet Elite will also come in three color variants: Ice Blue, Ruby Red and Monarch Orange.

Already type certified by the US Federal Aviation Administration and European Aviation Safety Agency, the HondaJet Elite will be on show for the first time at European aviation expo EBACE from May 28th through May 31st. There's no word yet on when deliveries will begin or pricing.

Source: HondaJet

View gallery - 9 images
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10 comments
EH
The 1st model HondaJet is ~$4.9M, this will likely be around $1M more since all the changes are additions of new hardware.
Speed at max. range isn't specified, nor fuel capacity, nor payload. But they give thrust (2050 lbf x2) and rate of climb (4100 ft./min., weight unspecified.)
Vernon Miles Kerr
I'm wondering about the pros and cons of the unorthodox engine placement. Is the "weird" look justified by some gain in aerodynamics or structural engineering?
Bob
I saw this plane 15 years ago. I can't believe Honda is taking so long to get it on the market. It needs to be stretched out for at least four more passengers.
Paulinator
Putting the engines on pylons ABOVE the wings certainly won't gain any efficiency, but that does shield the ground from some noise and also gives the sound a longer conduit before reaching the cabin. I concur with the previous comment...the plane needs twice the range and seating capacity.
GregVoevodsky
Just like Honda starting with the Civic, I'm sure HondaJets will add seats and compete with the bigger jets someday. Right now, they are taking the "affordable" low end with little completion - thus best in class. What happened to all the air taxis that were coming after 911? HondaJet at least made it to market and is a bit bigger than the Eclipse 550 though it costs a few million more per seat!
guzmanchinky
Private jest are noisy and turbulence is much more pronounced. I'll stick with first class on an airliner... Very cool little plane though!
YouAre
Boeing hadn't taken seriously Airbus before it got too late, but there are Bombardier and Embraer in search of an opportunity also. Keep pushing, Honda! Made in Japan is still a way better than Made in China, but the times change.
b@man
Poor design
aksdad
Does the Bongiovi audio system come with a collection of Bon Jovi's greatest hits?
Jude
If the sound system is designed by Tony Bongiovi it's gotta be good! I don't understand "the cabin's interior panels become speakers " and "belted lavatory"??? I guess the future has arrived!