A new Citation 

Textron Aviation announced on May 22, 2023 its latest addition, the new Cessna Citation business jet from the legendary 560XL series - the Cessna Citation Ascend. Unveiled on the eve of the European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (EBACE), the Citation Ascend is designed to bring an entirely new cockpit, improved performance and a more luxurious cabin to the mid-size business jet market. Currently in development, the aircraft is expected to enter service in 2025. "In the Citation family, there is no more widely used aircraft than the Citation 560XL series. With a 560XL aircraft taking off or landing every two minutes somewhere in the world, this aircraft will be part of the most successful family of business aircraft," said Ron Draper, president and CEO of Textron Aviation.

Acsend 

The Cessna Citation Ascend will feature state-of-the-art Garmin G5000 avionics including the latest software and hardware. First up is Autothrottle technology to reduce pilot workload and provide flight envelope protection. The cockpit will also include three large 14-inch ultra-high resolution displays with split screen capability, as well as two standard flight management systems. Added to this will be synthetic vision to account for obstacles such as mountains or terrain as well as a satellite voice and data transceiver to make satellite calls from the cockpit. Garmin will also provide new advanced weather detection and avoidance technology. An optional second Iridium and CPDLC data radio will be offered to help customers establish more direct routes between North America and Europe.

2,100 nautical miles or 3,889 km of range 

Preliminary performance goals are a four-passenger range of 1,900 nm (3,518.8 km) at high-speed cruise (with an estimated maximum range of 2,100 nm, or 3,889.2 km), a cruise speed of 441 kts (or 816 km/h), and the ability to climb directly to 45,000 feet (or 13,500 m). The aircraft's design improvements will allow it to carry a greater combination of payload and fuel while maintaining access to short runways. With four passengers at cruising speed, trips such as London City (UK) to Athens (Greece), Helsinki (Finland) to Porto (Portugal) or La Mole (France) to Prague (Czech Republic) will be possible.

Revamped, flat-floor cabin 

On the cabin side, the company worked with a customer advisory committee of owners, pilots, mechanics and passengers throughout the design process to better understand what they are looking for in the ultimate aircraft experience. With a fully customizable interior, customers can choose from a range of standard and optional features to best suit their needs. The aircraft will feature a flat floor that will provide passengers with generous new legroom and greater flexibility.Textron Aviation designed the Citation Ascend seats based on customer feedback for ultimate comfort, placing passengers in an optimized seating position. When designing the interior of their aircraft, customers can even choose the level of cushion firmness. The aircraft has a standard configuration of nine passengers and a maximum capacity of 12 passengers. The main cabin seats will feature a power release for swiveling and tracking the seat on the pedestal. Passengers will be able to wirelessly control cabin lighting, temperature, window shades and in-flight entertainment. They will also be able to choose an optional Bongiovi audio system.

Improved maintenance intervals

On the maintenance side, the Citation Ascend is designed to improve on the 560XL series' intervals. For example, airframe maintenance intervals will be 18 months or 800 hours, while engine overhaul intervals will be 6,000 hours, with inspections every 3,000 hours of hot parts. The aircraft will also include more standard equipment to facilitate troubleshooting, such as an electronic engine chip detector, Pratt & Whitney's FAST™ box for complete flight data acquisition, storage and transmission, LinxUs and LinxUs Air for in-flight diagnostics transmission. Finally, the aircraft will include design enhancements based on two decades of customer feedback in the field, such as all-LED lighting and a pylon work light over the baggage area to facilitate night loading. In addition, the new, larger cockpit side window creates a modern appeal for the landing ramps.