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Wings Mated on First Production Cessna Citation M2

New Citation progresses toward certification.

Cessna employees in Independence, Kansas, had reason to celebrate this week as the first production Citation M2 fuselage was attached to its wings. “This is the moment when we can see an aircraft take shape, and we hope it is equally exciting for our customers who want to start flying their M2,” said Dick Friesen, Cessna value stream manager for the Mustang and M2.

The next phase for the M2 is engine mounting and functional testing of the hydraulics, flight controls and Intrinzic Flight Deck, which includes Garmin’s touch-screen G3000 integrated avionics system. Cessna claims it is on target to achieve certification for the Citation M2 in the second half of this year and the first production airplane will likely be delivered shortly thereafter.

With a starting price of $4.395 million, the M2 fills the slot between Cessna’s entry level jet — the Citation Mustang — and the Model 525 CJ2+, a slot previously occupied by the CJ1+, which was taken out of production in 2011. Earlier this month Cessna announced a production slowdown of its entire light jet line.

The M2, which is a model 525 CitationJet by type, accommodates up to seven passengers, with a published max cruise speed of 400 kts and a 1,300 nm range. Like the CJ2+, the M2 is equipped with Williams FJ44 engines, though the power output of the M2 engines is lower. The Mustang is powered by Pratt & Whitney’s PW615F engines.

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