Honda has entered the aviation market with the receipt of Type certification from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for its HondaJet.

A five-passenger aircraft, HondaJet will compete in the light business jet market against established manufacturers such as Cessna, which produces the Citation Mustang, and Embraer, which makes the Phenom 100.

The plane is powered by two GE Honda HF120 turbofan jet engines that will enable a cruising speed of 420 knots at 30,000 feet. Image credit: Honda Aircraft Co.

The product of over 20 years of aeronautics research and development by the company, HondaJet brings several innovations to the light jet market, the company says. Chief among these is the plane's over-the-wing engine mount, which Honda says improves performance and fuel efficiency by reducing aerodynamic drag. The design also is intended to reduce cabin sound, minimize ground-detected noise and free up additional cabin space for baggage as well as a lavatory in the rear of the plane.

HondaJet uses a lightweight composite fuselage created from a combination of co-cured integral structure and honeycomb sandwich structures. Honda says that refinements in natural laminar flow technology were applied to the design of the plane's main wing airfoil and fuselage nose shape to reduce aerodynamic drag while maximizing cruising speed and performance.

The HondaJet is powered by two GE Honda HF120 turbofan jet engines that will enable a cruising speed of 420 knots at 30,000 feet. The aircraft's top cruising altitude is 43,000 feet.

With FAA type certification, the company is ramping up production at its Greensboro, N.C. facility, where 25 aircraft are now on the assembly line. Honda says it has a dealer network across North America, South America and Europe.

Honda's launch of the light jet is one milestone in 2015 for the budding Japanese aviation industry. Mitsubishi is carrying out test flights of the larger MRJ, which it plans to launch in the second quarter of 2017.