Honda Aero is to produce the HF120 turbofan, selected for the HondaJet and Spectrum Freedom light jets, at a new plant in Burlington, North Carolina. This follows the February decision to place final assembly of the HondaJet in Greensboro, North Carolina.
The new factory will supply GE Honda Aero Engines, the 50:50 joint venture formed by GE Aviation and Honda Aero in 2004 to develop and market engines in the 1,000-3,500lb thrust (4.5-15.5kN) range, beginning with the 2,050lb HF120. GE Honda will hold the type certificate and be responsible for continuing airworthiness, says programme manager Mark Wagner.
Production is planned to begin at the new factory, adjacent to Burlington-Alamance regional airport, in late 2010, ramping up within a year to an initial capacity of 200 engines annually. The Honda Aero facility will be responsible for engine assembly and test, says Wagner, with components being produced by GE-approved suppliers.
Development and certification of the HF120 is being handled by GE, which will be responsible for the first year of deliveries under its existing production certificate. "Full production will then shift to Honda Aero," says Wagner.
A core engine is on test in Tokyo, with a full-up demonstrator engine to enter testing "within the next few months", Wagner says. Certification testing is to begin in mid-2008, with type approval scheduled for mid-2009. Certification and entry-into-service of the HF120-powered HondaJet is planned for 2010.
Honda Aero president Fumitaka Hasegawa says the headquarters, manufacturing site and engine test cell in Burlington represent a $27 million investment and will employ 70 people, including those relocated from the Reston, Virginia headquarters.
The HF120 has a 470mm (18.5in)-diameter wide-chord, compound-swept fan and two-stage booster, both blisk designs a single-stage centrifugal compressor with titanium impeller compact reverse-flow combustor single-stage high-pressure turbine with powder-metal disk and single-crystal blades and two-stage low-pressure turbine.
The HP and LP spools counter-rotate, saving weight.
Source: Flight International
