Honda Aircraft Company president and CEO Michimasa Fujino announced at an NBAA press briefing in Las Vegas that the development program for the company’s HF420 light jet has been pushed back due to a delay in the certification of the GE-Honda HF120 engine. Fujino said the delay is due to a redesign project caused by “minor damage” found in the engine during the test phase for icing conditions. Minor or not, the test failure will necessitate a redesign to critical engine components.
Fujino said type certification of the HondaJet is now expected in mid 2013, a delay of nearly a year from original estimates. In 2009 the company announced a similar, one-year delay. Honda has invested approximately $1 billion in the program.
