Cessna announced this week that the first updated production Citation X has emerged from the factory hangar in Wichita, Kansas. More than 675 flight hours have been logged on the two test platforms Cessna has used during the certification effort for its fastest business jet. Cessna hopes to certify the new X and deliver the first customer airplane this year.
If the new X meets the expected top speed of Mach 0.935, it will reclaim the spot as the fastest civilian jet in the world — a title Gulfstream snagged with the G650 when it achieved certification last fall.
Once the new Citation Xs enter the market, they will be easy to spot since the new model has been equipped with winglets. Cessna claims the winglets reduce fuel consumption, improve cruise efficiency and reduce takeoff and landing distances at higher altitudes.
The new Citation X also boasts a longer cabin, an increased range of 3,242 nm and a service ceiling of 51,000 feet. The panel has changed, as the X is the launch airplane for Garmin’s G5000 flight deck, a big switch from the Honeywell Primus suite that has been mounted on the panel of the X for the past decade. The new flight deck has three 14-inch displays operated by four touch-screen controllers and will include features such as synthetic vision, TCAS and TAWS.
