Cessna has announced major supplier selections for its new large-cabin Citation Hemisphere bizjet, the newest and largest addition to the Citation family.
The 4,500 nautical-mile Hemisphere will be powered by two Safran Silvercrest engines, with over 12,000 pounds of thrust. The engine – which will also power the Dassault Falcon 5X – has logged 6,000 hours of tests to date, including 600 in flight, and over 170 flights in all. Despite delays in developing the engine for the 5X, Safran says tests are now proceeding according to schedule, leading to engine certification in the spring of 2018.
The Hemisphere will also be equipped with Honeywell’s advanced Primus Epic. fully integrated cockpit solution. The latest Primus Epic cockpit - including SmartView Synthetic Vision System (SVS) and touchscreen controllers - will provide pilots with a conformal 3D view of the outside world in challenging weather conditions such as fog, rain or snow to improve situational awareness. Honeywell’s connected aircraft solution will be integrated with Textron Aviation’s proprietary LinxUs maintenance and diagnostics reporting ecosystem.
The Hemisphere will incorporate a full fly-by-wire (FBW) flight control system featuring active control sidetsicks. Thales has been selected to provide the flight control computers and remote electronic units to support this system.
Cessna is showing a full-scale mockup of the cabin at the NBAA show. It claims that the 19-pax cabin will be the widest in its class at 102 inches.
First flight of the Citation Hemisphere is expected in 2019.