Honda Aircraft Company has unveiled the HondaJet 2600 Concept at NBAA-BACE. Presented as the next generation of business jet, Honda displayed a mockup of the 2600 Concept to collect customer feedback and validate market demand.

The HondaJet 2600 Concept inherits Honda's aeronautical breakthroughs, including the over-the-wing engine mount (OTWEM) configuration, natural laminar flow (NLF) technology on wings and fuselage nose, and carbon composite fuselage. Through the further refinement of these foundational HondaJet technologies, the HondaJet 2600 Concept will be the world's first light jet capable of nonstop transcontinental flight across the US. The aircraft has a quiet and spacious cabin suited for long range travel, can seat for up to 11 occupants and aims to deliver unparalleled fuel efficiency.

The jet features a range of 2,625 nm, being the world's first light jet capable of nonstop transcontinental flight across the US, and also features a high speed cruise of 450 kts and a ceiling of 47,000 ft. It has significantly more passenger space as well as cabin tranquility with greatly reduced vibration compared to conventional light jets, due to the OTWEM configuration. The aircraft also has the tallest cabin height, and offers favourable pressurisation with a cabin altitude of 6,363 ft at its max operating altitude of 47,000 ft. Finally, the aircraft will also offer three types of modular and highly customisable cabin configurations.

The 2600 Concept is the first transcontinental jet designed for single-pilot operation, with an advanced cockpit incorporating innovative technologies such as electrification and automated systems, including autothrottle and autobrake among others. It will offer the utmost operational safety by reducing pilot workload through an intuitive, high-tech interface.

The aircraft dramatically reduces carbon emissions with up to 20 per cent better fuel efficiency than typical light jets, and is over 40 per cent more fuel efficient than a mid-size jet during a typical mission.

Honda Aircraft Company president and CEO Michimasa Fujino states: “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 levels of cabin comfort and capacity, and dramatically reduces CO2 emissions, we are introducing a new generation of business jets.”