The GE Honda HF120 is a small

turbofan The turbofan or fanjet is a type of airbreathing jet engine that is widely used in aircraft propulsion. The word "turbofan" is a portmanteau of "turbine" and "fan": the ''turbo'' portion refers to a gas turbine engine which achieves mechanic ...

for the light business jet market, the first engine to be produced by

GE Honda Aero Engines GE Honda Aero Engines LLC is a joint venture between GE Aviation and Honda Aero based in Cincinnati, Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and terr ...

Development

Succeeding Honda's original HF118 prototype, the HF120 was undergoing testing in July 2008, with certification targeted for late 2009. The first engines were produced at GE's factory, but in November 2014 production shifted to Burlington, North Carolina. The U.S.

Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic ...

(FAA) awarded Part 33 certification to the HF120 turbofan engine in December 2013, and production certification in 2015.

Design

The engine has a wide-chord swept fan, two-stage low-pressure compressor and counter rotating high-pressure compressor based on a titanium impeller, for a takeoff thrust. The HF120 engine's components interact with greater efficiency by incorporating 3D aerodynamic design and its effusion-cooled combustor design emits few NOx, CO and HC. Noise levels are quieter than Stage 4 requirements. In May 2016

time between overhaul Time between overhauls (abbreviated as TBO or TBOH) is the manufacturer's recommended number of running hours or calendar time before an aircraft engine or other component requires overhaul. On rotorcraft, many components have recommended or ma ...

was 2,500 h and should mature to 5,000 h; a midlife hot-section inspection isn't required and it should remain on wing 40% longer than other engines and have lower operating costs.

Operational history

Besides the

HondaJet The Honda HA-420 HondaJet is a light business jet produced by the Honda Aircraft Company of Greensboro, North Carolina, United States. Original concepts of the aircraft started in 1997 and were completed in 1999. It took its maiden flight on D ...

, HF120 was announced as a retrofit to the

Cessna CitationJet The Cessna CitationJet/CJ/M2 (also known as the Model 525) are a series of light business jets built by Cessna, and are part of the Citation family. Launched in October 1989, the first flight of the Model 525 was on April 29, 1991. Federal A ...

CJ1 by Sierra Industries, in partnership with GE Honda. In addition,

Spectrum Aeronautical Spectrum Aeronautical is a business jet developer based in Carlsbad, California with its development center located in Spanish Fork, Utah. An engine failure while flying a single-engine Stinson Voyager over the jungles of Honduras in 1958 nearly ...

has announced it is planning to use HF120 for its upcoming

S-40 Freedom The Spectrum S-40 Freedom was a business jet developed by Spectrum Aeronautical. The aircraft was first announced at the 2006 NBAA Conference in Orlando, Florida. Design and development The S-40 is expected to be classified as a very light jet, ...

Applications

* Honda HA-420 HondaJet *

Spectrum S-40 Freedom The Spectrum S-40 Freedom was a business jet developed by Spectrum Aeronautical. The aircraft was first announced at the 2006 NBAA Conference in Orlando, Florida. Design and development The S-40 is expected to be classified as a very light jet, ...

Specifications

References

External links

{{Joint development aeroengines Medium-bypass turbofan engines Honda engines 2000s turbofan engines Centrifugal-flow turbojet engines