The FAA cleared the way for deliveries of the ultra-fast Cessna Citation X+ this week after it granted certification to the speedy midsize bizjet.
With a top speed of Mach 0.935 (536 ktas), the Citation X+ has now displaced the Gulfstream G650 — which has a max speed of Mach 0.925 — as the world’s fastest civil aircraft. The move puts Cessna back in front in the speed race, a position it held previously with the original Mach 0.92 Cessna X before it was upended by the G650 in 2012.
In addition to its higher speed, the new Citation X+ features a number of other upgrades over the original X, such as winglets, a lengthier cabin and an improved max range of 3,408 nm.
Powered by dual fadec-controlled Rolls-Royce AE3007C2 engines, the X+ can seat 12 and tops out at an altitude of 51,000 feet.
Since the original Cessna Citation hit the market in 1972, the Wichita industry giant has delivered more than 6,600 Citation twinjets around the world.
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