With 230 total aircraft delivered, the Honda Aircraft Company continues development on its singular model series, the HA-420 type HondaJet. Now in its Elite II version announced at the National Business Aviation Association conference in October 2022, the light twin-engine jet powered by GE Honda Aero HF120 turbines is completing the final stages of its validation under the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), which company representatives expect to occur by the end of the summer.
Autothrottle Progress
At a press briefing at AERO 2023 in Friedrichshafen, Germany, on April 19, Peter Kriegler, vice president of sales at Honda Aircraft, gave an update on the Elite II’s next upgrades—specifically its autothrottle. The AT is a key component that must be in place in order to complete the Garmin Autoland suite on the HondaJet—which will make it the first twin-engine jet approved with this functionality. The Elite II gained FAA certification without the AT; this update has been projected for completion in the summer 2023, and Kriegler confirmed that progress is on track.
