Textron Aviation Delivers First Cessna Citation Latitudes Configured For Flight Inspection Missions

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Textron Aviation, owner of the Cessna aircraft brand, recently announced it delivered its first two Cessna Citation Latitude jets for flight inspection missions. The jets will be owned and operated by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. (Photo courtesy of Textron Aviation.)

Kanematsu Corporation, one of Japan’s oldest trading companies, recently received the first two of three Cessna Citation Latitude jets it ordered and had configured for flight inspection missions. The Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) will own and operate the jets, which will help it “ensure the integrity of instrument approaches and airway procedures” in Japanese national airspace. Textron Aviation, owner of the Cessna brand, expects to deliver a third Latitude early next year. The company says the Latitude is the industry’s best-selling midsize business jet.

Long, Large & Leading

Textron entered the Latitude into service in 2015. With its twin Pratt & Whitney PW306D1 FADEC-controlled turbofan engines, the Latitude has a 2,700-nautical-mile (5,000-kilometer) range with four passengers at a high cruise speed of 446 KTAS (826 km/h). The jet can fly nine passengers maximum and has a 3,580-foot (1,090-meter) takeoff field length and 12,394-pound (5,622-kilogram) useful payload. It also features a flat-floor, 6-ft (1.8-m) stand-up cabin as well as a wireless cabin management system and Garmin 5000 avionics.

Textron outfitted JASDF’s Latitudes with Norwegian Special Mission’s UNIFIS 3000 Flight Inspection System equipment, which enables the Latitudes to support flight-inspection missions by periodically evaluating navigational aids, including flight procedures and electronic signals, for safety and accuracy. JASDF’s Flight Checker Squadron, based at the Iruma Air Base near Tokyo, will operate the jets. Noting the vital role that flight inspection plays in providing a safe air transportation system, Bob Gibbs, Textron Aviation vice president of special mission sales, says the Latitude’s “long range, large cabin, and class-leading performance” makes it ideal for the job.

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Source: Textron Aviation