News Releases
Cessna Citation X to Get Honeywell Primus Elite Avionics, Cabin Improvements for 2011
WICHITA, Kan., June 21, 2010 - Cessna Aircraft Company, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, announced today it will feature the Honeywell Primus Elite avionics platform as well as an upgraded cabin management system on new Citation X business jets beginning in 2011. Honeywell’s Primus Elite will also be available as an optional service bulletin upgrade through the Cessna Citation Service Center network for in-service Citation Xs.
“The Citation X is Cessna’s flagship business jet and our continued investment will ensure it remains one of the most advanced aircraft in the world,” said Roger Whyte, senior vice president, Cessna Sales and Marketing. “Honeywell’s continued improvements to the Citation X’s avionics, coupled with our cabin management system upgrades, will allow Citation X operators to take maximum advantage of technologies developed for the global operating environment well into the future.”
Based on the Citation X’s current Honeywell Primus 2000 system, the five-panel Elite system features liquid crystal displays (LCD), offering high-resolution graphics display capability for electronic approach charts with aircraft position worldwide as well as XM satellite weather in the United States and southern Canada. In addition, improved moving map capability will depict geographical and political boundaries as well as airspace and airways. LCD technology also provides greater reliability and longer service life than previous displays.
Honeywell’s planned improvement roadmap for the Elite platform includes options such as synthetic vision and advanced moving map capability.
Improvements to the proprietary cabin management system (CMS), also included as a standard feature for 2011 deliveries, include touch-screen control panels, MP3 player inputs, an improved stereo sound system optimized for the Citation X cabin, updated Airshow display imagery, and dual Blu-ray players with a high-definition display monitor mounted in the forward closet.
The Citation X is the fastest business jet in the world, with time and cost efficiency as its most important benefits. Normally configured for eight passengers, the Citation X has a range of more than 3,000 nautical miles and flies as high as 51,000 feet, well above most weather systems and other aircraft traffic for a smoother, more efficient flight profile.
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Cessna is the world’s leading general aviation company, based on unit sales, with five major lines of business: Citation business jets, Caravan single-engine turboprops, Cessna single-engine piston aircraft, aftermarket services and lift solutions by CitationAir. In 2009, Cessna delivered 754 aircraft, including 289 Citation business jets, and reported revenues of about $3.3 billion. Since the company was originally established in 1927, more than 192,000 Cessna airplanes have been delivered around the world, including more than 6,000 Citations, making it the largest fleet of business jets in the world. More information about Cessna Aircraft Company is available at www.cessna.com.
Textron Inc. is a multi-industry company that leverages its global network of aircraft, defense, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell Helicopter, Cessna Aircraft Company, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Greenlee, and Textron Systems. More information is available at www.textron.com.
Forward-looking Information: Certain statements in this release are forward-looking statements and speak only as of the date on which they are made, and we undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the statements, including but not limited to the following: [a] changes in worldwide economic and political conditions that impact demand for our products, interest rates and foreign exchange rates; [b] the interruption of production at our facilities or at our suppliers’ facilities; [c] the timing of new product launches and certifications of new aircraft products; [d] the occurrence of slowdowns or downturns in customer markets in which our products are sold or supplied; [e] changes in aircraft delivery schedules or cancellations or deferrals of orders; [f] the launching of significant new products or programs which could result in unanticipated expenses; [g] changes in national or international government policies on the export and import of commercial products; [h] bankruptcy or other financial or performance problems at major suppliers or subcontractors that could cause disruptions in our supply chain; [i] continued difficult conditions in the financial markets resulting in adverse impacts to our customers, including difficulty in obtaining financing for the purchase of our products; and [j] continued volatility in the economy resulting in a prolonged downturn in the business jet market.





