Cessna has secured US Federal Aviation Administration certification for its Citation CJ3+. The airframer hopes the type will help invigorate the embattled light business jet sector, in which it is the dominant player with six types in its stable.
Approval of the seven-seat twinjet comes six months after its launch. The type is one of a quartet of revamped designs delivered by the airframer over the past 12 months.
These include the light-cabin Citation M2 – derived from the out-of-production CJ1, the midsize Sovereign+ – a revamp of the 10-year-old Sovereign, and the high-speed X+ – an upgraded version of the 14-year-old Citation X.
All three models include upgrades to the propulsion system and a new flightdeck based on the Garmin G5000 suite.
The M2 is powered with two Williams FJ44-1AP-21 turbofans, the Sovereign+ by a pair of Pratt & Whitney Canada PW306D engines and the X+ by Rolls-Royce AE3007C2s.
The FJ44-3A-powered CJ3+ is a revamp of the 12-year-old CJ3, featuring a new interior, a redesigned cabin and a G3000 cockpit.
Cessna’s vice-president, jets, Chris Hearne says the airframer’s “laser like” focus on bringing the CJ3+ to market within a six month timeframe “reflects the company’s focus on continued investment in general aviation’s most extensive product line up”.
“Giving customers the most expansive product line up on the market – from the popular entry-level Citation Mustang and newly-certified Citation M2 jets, to the upgraded efficiency and comfort of the CJ3+ and the top performing CJ4, Cessna’s Citation CJ family of light business jets has evolved to offer a range of capabilities, systems and options unmatched in its class,” Cessna says.
Over the next 12 months the Textron Aviation subsidiary is planning to certificate the midsize Latitude, which made its first flight in February. The nine-seat twinjet will be joined in 2017 by the super-midsize Longitude, which will sit at the top of the airframer’s product line.
Source: FlightGlobal.com
