October 18, 2010
Cessna Introduces Citation Ten
October 18, 2010
by Russ Niles, Editor-in-Chief
In keeping with the large-cabin theme of this year's National Business Aviation Association convention, Cessna's major announcement of the show is an extensive upgrade of its flagship bizjet. In fact, Cessna says the makeover of the Citation X is so complete that it considers the new model, called the Citation Ten to be a new airplane. "The launch of the Citation Ten is an example of our commitment, repeated throughout the recent downturn, to new product development, and it's a signal that we intend to do what we need to do to maintain a general aviation industry leadership position," CEO Jack Pelton said. The Ten is about 15 inches longer than the existing model, has a new cockpit, cabin and engines and is projected to be about 19 knots faster than the X, which may allow Cessna to hang on to its claim to have the "fastest certified business jet" with a maximum cruise of just under .92 Mach.
In an advance interview with AVweb, Cessna officials declined to speculate on the maximum operating speed of the new plane but Pelton has said that the company intends to defend the speed title and the extra 19 knots (at 49,000 feet) might be enough to nudge past the .925 Mach projected for the Gulfstream G650. Revamped Rolls-Royce AE3007C2 high-flow-fan turbines will provide the push and also provide direct climb to 45,000 feet. The Ten is the launch airplane for Garmin's new G5000 system, which is its first foray into the Part 25 market. It features three 14-inch screens with synthetic vision standard. A new cabin management system includes touch-screen controllers at each seat, new galley designs and lavatories and different seating geometry to enhance comfort.
