Safire Aircraft of West Palm Beach, FL, plans to develop a two-place "personal jet" powered by a single Williams FJX-2 turbofan engine.

Designed to be safe and easy to fly, the Safire S-12 will have a maximum take-off weight of 2,100 pounds, while offering 330-knot cruise, an NBAA IFR range of around 1,400 miles, and a 61-knot stall speed.

The target price of the S-12 is $350,000, with a total direct operating cost of $135 per hour.
Joseph Soderquist, a former composite materials specialist at the FAA, will lead Safire in certifying the S-12's composite structures, while HDX9000's CEO Timothy Palmer will implement the company's quality management system.

The S-12's primary design engineer is Luc Van Bavel, who was previously involved with the Promavia Jet Squalus and the Mikoyan MiG-8.15 trainer.

The S-12 will be developed immediately after the Safire S-26, a proposed, four to six-seat business jet powered by two Williams FJX-2 turbofans. Target price of the S-26 is $800,000.
Developed in response to NASA's General Aviation Propulsion (GAP) program, the 700-lb thrust FJX-2 is a smaller, lighter evolution of the Williams FJ44 turbofans found on a number of entry-level business jets.

"The cost breakthrough achieved by the FJX-2 engine now opens the door for general aviation to join the jet age," said Safire president Michael Margaritoff.