Cessna’s strategy to rejuvenate the older members of its Citation business jet family is continuing unabated, with its CJ2+ entry-level light jet the latest in line for a revamp.
The Alpine Edition CJ2+ features a redesigned cockpit incorporating a Garmin G3000 avionics suite, improved turbulence-detecting weather radar, TCAS II, advanced terrain awareness warning systems and high speed Internet capabilities, supplied by Aircell.
“The Alpine Edition CJ2+ is just one more example of Cessna’s continued investment in its products and services,” says Cessna Alpine Edition programme manager, Matt Wild.
The engineering flight test programme is under way, with certification and first deliveries scheduled for the third quarter. The Alpine Edition will also offer exclusive exterior paint schemes and interior packages as optional upgrades.
Cessna will be hoping the revamp will boost sales of the eight-year-old type – itself an upgraded version of the CJ2, which entered service in 2000.
According to Flightglobal’s Ascend Online Fleets database, deliveries of the six-seat twinjet have plummeted from a peak of 56 in 2008 to only 15 last year.
Cessna is planning to offer a G3000 retrofit programme for existing CJ2+ customers. The airframer is working with US engineering company Duncan Aviation to secure US supplemental type certification for the upgrade.
The Alpine Edition is the third upgrade programme launched by Cessna in less than 18 months. Other models include the Sovereign+, which entered service late last year, the X+, scheduled for certification within weeks, and the CJ3+, which was launched last week and earmarked for service entry later this year.
Source: FlightGlobal.com
