Oshkosh, USA: GE Honda Aero Engines says it has built and tested eight HF120 engine cores and eight full turbofan engine configurations to prepare for formal certification testing later this year. The HF120 is an advanced 2000 lb thrust class turbofan propulsion system.

Honda officials aid that this represents one of the most aggressive test programmes for a new jet engine prior to official FAA certification testing. "We´re optimizing the engine configuration before certification testing," said Bill Dwyer, president of GE Honda Aero Engines. "The combined resources of the Honda and GE engineering teams working closely together make this possible."

Reportedly, test results have been highly encouraging, with the HF120 engine demonstrating more than 2,100 pounds of thrust while exceeding ambitious fuel efficiency and durability targets. Testing continues throughout next year with FAA certification targeted for late 2009.

Also in 2009, the engine undergoes flight tests on a flying testbed, as well as on the HondaJet.

The GE Honda HF120 engine was launched in 2006 with service entry scheduled in 2010. By service entry, the HF120 is expected to have accumulated more than 15,000 hours of ground and flight testing.

Engine production is slated to begin in 2009 at GE´s Lynn, Massachusetts, facility.

Production will shifty to Honda Aero Inc.´s new engine production facility in Burlington, North Carolina, when it opens for production in 2010.

The HF120 engine is rated at 2,095 pounds of thrust. GE and Honda redesigned the original HF118 engine for higher thrust seeking new standards of performance in terms of fuel efficiency, durability, and low noise and emissions.

A key cost-of-ownership feature of the HF120 will be its ability to operate in service for 5,000 hours before the first major overhaul. There will be no need to open the engine for interim hot-section inspections thanks to the advanced airfoil materials and coatings that GE and Honda are developing for the engine´s high-pressure turbine section.

In 2004, GE and Honda formed a 50/50 joint venture company, based in Cincinnati, Ohio, near the GE Aviation headquarters. The joint company integrates the resources of GE and Honda Aero, Inc. in Reston, Virginia, a Honda subsidiary established to manage its aviation engine business.

Honda is the world´s largest engine manufacturer, annually producing more than 20 million engines for a wide range of products, including motorcycles, ATVs, generators, marine engines, lawn and garden equipment, and automobiles.

GE Aviation, an operating unit of General Electric Company, is a world-leading provider of commercial and military jet engines and components as well as integrated digital, electric power, and mechanical systems for aircraft.