Textron Aviation announced on Saturday that the Federal Aviation Administration has issued a type certificate for the Generation 2 version of the Citation M2 entry-level jet.
Type certification clears the way for deliveries to customers, with the new aircraft representing a significant upgrade over previous versions.
Importantly for the M2, the new model includes Garmin Autothrottle, which has been certified after 300 hours of testing.
“Achieving FAA certification for the Citation M2 Gen2 with Garmin Autothrottles reinforces our commitment to bringing innovation and industry-leading technology to our customers,” said Chris Hearne, senior vice president, Engineering and Programs.
“Textron Aviation leads the industry in bringing clean sheet aircraft and product upgrades to market – certifying nine business jets since 2013.”
When enabled at 400 feet above ground, autothrottles streamline operations by managing aircraft speed, engine performance and power to allow the aircraft to climb, descend or maintain altitude, reducing pilot workload significantly.
With a maximum cruise speed of 404 knots and a range of 1550 nm, the M2 Gen2 can operate at airports with runways as short as 980 m and climb to 41,000 feet in 24 minutes.
The aircraft is designed for single-pilot operation and features two Williams FJ44 1AP-21 engines, Garmin G3000 avionics and seating for seven passengers.
Textron Aviation first launched the Citation M2 in 2011 as an aircraft to fill a gap in the range between the entry-level Mustang and the CJ series of executive jets.
Sales of the M2 eclipsed the Mustang, leading to Textron dropping the smaller jet from the range in 2017 after 470 had been built.
Textron has delivered an average of 30 M2s annually since 2018, although demand has been down with only 25 and 22 delivered across the last two full years. Stiff competition in the twin-engine single-pilot jet market has the M2 placed third behind Embraer's Phenom 100/300 and Pilatus PC-24.