Honda Aircraft Company Officially Names HJ2600 As Echelon News from the starting day of the 2023 NBAA-BACE in Las Vegas, Nevada has to do with the Honda Aircraft Company. The airframer has announced that the aircraft previously known as the HondaJet 2600 (HA-480) is now formally called the HondaJet Echelon. The aircraft which was formally introduced at the EBACE in May has been moving along in the initial development stages and is expected to enter service in 2028.
The breakdown of the development and certification timeline is as follows: HondaJet's engineering department has already finished the HondaJet Echelon’s PDR (Preliminary Design Review) earlier in the year. The next step is going to be the completion of the CDR (Critical Design Review ) which is anticipated to happen in the Summer of 2024. However the fabrication process has already started at the airframers headquarters located in Greensboro, North Carolina. Therefore the rollout of the first Echelon specimen is set for the early part of 2026. This then suggests that flight testing of the first bird should begin in that year and run through certification for an EIS (Entry into Service) in 2028.
For those not familiar, the HondaJet Echelon (HA-480) is based off the HA-420 (original HondaJet) and therefore should help the program along as it will be certified as an amendment to the HondaJet's Type Certification. It will also share the same Type Rating too allowing pilots of the HA-420 to operate the HA-480 (Echelon). Though Honda Aircraft Company has not divulge the sales numbers with fanfare, it is known that they have over 350 'orders' (LoI) for the new Echelon. Honda Aircraft Company has a mockup of the Echelon At the 2023 NBAA-BACE. For more information: Honda Aircraft Company Greensboro, NC United States of America www.hondajet.com ***
