Below is a vid of the new HondaJet that meets FAA guidelines. I wonder if there are any military applications for a mini-business jet. And I mean besides using it as a shuttle to move General's around in. Maybe as a high speed UAV control ship? Civil Defense?
Truly one of the most Beautiful Aircraft I've ever seen. In Tabuk, KSA in the 90s we used to have a extremely small Mitsubushi twin jet deliver our COMSEC fills from EURCOM. It was in this very small Business class and was beautiful also.
ReplyDeletei didn't know that. i thought this airplane was the first of its kind. i didn't think of it as a mini-Sherpa type replacement but it makes sense.
ReplyDeleteWell, the US has a long history with the vague SRA (Special Requirements Aircraft), which included various civilian-based types ranging from Gulfstreams to King Airs (Task Force ODIN).
ReplyDeleteUsually COMINT and SIGINT roles, and some covert photo-recce as well, as these small unmarked jets could operate from civilian airfields.
Besides the Honda Jet, there's Cessnas Mustang, which is the first VLJ to be fully FAA certified in the US iirc.