INDEPENDENCE, Kan., Aug 01, 2013– Cessna Aircraft Company, a Textron Inc. (NYSE:TXT) company, is celebrating the first production unit of the Citation M2, Cessna’s newest business jet, exiting the company’s manufacturing facility in Independence, Kansas. Deliveries of the M2 are expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2013.
“Seeing the M2 roll off the assembly production line was a special moment,” said Lily English, general manager of Cessna’s Independence, Kansas manufacturing plant. “Engineering, production and planning − this is a huge achievement for the whole team, and great news for M2 customers. The collaboration and cross-functional support within Cessna helped make this day happen. We have filled the assembly line, and now look forward to seeing M2s roll out of these doors for a long time to come.”
Nearly 500 full-time Cessna employees work at the 500,000-square-foot facility in Independence, Kansas. The facility handles assembly, paint and interiors for the Citation M2, as well as for the Citation Mustang and the company’s single-engine piston products. The Independence facility has manufactured over 10,000 aircraft since opening in 1995.
The Citation M2 is an exciting addition to the Cessna line-up, designed with capabilities and features based on insights provided by pilots and customers. It is the ideal aircraft to fly up to six passengers economically and in comfort on a 1,300-nautical-mile flight. The Cessna Intrinzic™ flight deck has Garmin G3000 avionics as its centerpiece, providing familiar cabin architecture for Cessna pilots. The high-resolution multifunction display features split-screen capability and touchscreen interactivity, providing pilots with the precise performance information they need at the touch of a button.
”Excitement is building for the M2,” said Brad Thress, Cessna senior vice president, Business Jets. “This jet brings more than capability and craftsmanship to the market. The M2 is such a versatile aircraft: it can perform superbly in many different markets and on a great variety of missions. Businesses appreciate the M2 for its low direct-operating and acquisition costs. It has the performance and capacity that charter operations look for. It has the handling characteristics you need in a training platform, while offering the style and power a private user looks for when taking the next step up in their own aircraft. The M2 delivers across the board, and we are looking forward to its first production flight.”
The Citation M2 features two powerful Williams FJ44 engines and a cruising speed of up to 400 kts (460 mph). The M2 has the range to fly passengers non-stop from New York to Houston, Rio de Janerio to Buenos Aires, or Amsterdam to Moscow. The M2 can climb to a flight level of 41,000 feet in 24 minutes, is single-pilot certified and has a useful load of 3,809 lbs.