…And Announces Engine-Research Initiative…

In addition, Honda said Thursday that it has established the Wako Nishi R&D Center in Japan, dedicated to the research and development of aviation engines. Honda said it will accelerate research and development efforts at the new center, in anticipation of mass production of the HF118 engine. The new center will also take over the development of piston aircraft engines, currently conducted at other Honda research centers. The Wako Research Center, also in Japan, will continue research and development efforts for the HondaJet, an experimental prototype aircraft currently undergoing test flights in North Carolina. Honda’s research efforts for small jet engines and jet aircraft began in 1986. Development of the Honda HF118 engine, which fits in the smallest category of the business jet engine class, began in 1999. Full-scale flight tests of the HF118 engine have been conducted aboard Honda’s prototype HondaJet aircraft since December 2003.