Textron Aviation this week announced the first production Citation Ascend mid-range jet had been rolled out of the factory in Wichita.
Announced in May 2023, the Ascend is a development of the Cessna Citation X line and is expected to be FAA type-certified by the end of the year.
The Ascend is powered by twin Pratt & Whitney Canada PW545D engines, which gives the 12-seat jet a maximum speed of Mach 0.75.
"Today is a big celebration and thank you to everyone who has been a part of building up to this point," said Todd McKee, Textron senior vice president, Integrated Supply Chain. "It is ... craftsmanship that continues to make milestones like this possible.
“By infusing new technology and bringing new features to the market, we continue to drive the future for us to build these legendary aircraft.”
The Ascend has a four-pax range of 1900 nm and a useful load of 3443 kg. Avionics are Garmin 5000 and the aircraft also includes a Honeywell RE100 [XL] APU.
According to Textron, the Ascend offers many features already found in the longer-range Citation Latitude and Citation Longitude, including a flat floor that gives passengers more legroom.
Over 1000 Cessna 560XL airframes, from which the Ascend has been developed, were delivered over the past 25 years, making it one of the most flown types of all the Cessna Citation jets.