CPI Aerostructures, Inc. will manufacture engine inlet and flap and vane assemblies for Honda Aircraft Company Inc. under a new long-term contract. First deliveries to the HondaJet manufacturing plant in Greensboro, N.C., are scheduled for January 2012, though the terms of the contract have not been announced.
“We are extremely proud to have been selected to manufacture two critical assemblies of the first aircraft offering from one of the world’s great corporations,” CPI Aero president and CEO, Edward J. Fred, stated.
Honda Aircraft is a wholly owned subsidiary of Honda Motor Company Ltd. that aims to produce “advanced light business jets,” with first deliveries scheduled for the first quarter of 2012. The company indicates it has orders for more than 100 HondaJets, a design that features numerous composites and light materials in an over-the-wing engine-mount configuration that is said to improve aircraft performance and fuel efficiency by reducing aerodynamic drag in flight. The HondaJet is powered by two HF120 turbofan jet engines, jointly manufactured by General Electric and Honda.
CPI Aero is an Edgewood, N.Y., contract manufacturer of structural aircraft parts for defense contractors and the U.S. Dept. of Defense. It also subcontracts manufacturing work for commercial aircraft parts. The company provides engineering, technical and program management services.
“Honda is new customer for CPI Aero, and this is an extremely dynamic program for which we are excited to play a significant role with the supply of such important components,” Fred continued. “We are confident that our past performance on similarly complex and critical flight structures will provide a high-value, low risk solution for the HondaJet.”
