Cessna Citation II
Aircraft Description
The Cessna Citation II models are light corporate jets built by Cessna as part of the Citation family. Stretched from the Citation I, the Model 550 was announced in September 1976, first flew on January 31, 1977, and was certified in March 1978. The II/SP is a single pilot version, the improved S/II first flew on February 14, 1984 and the Citation Bravo, a stretched S/II with new avionics and more powerful P&WC PW530A turbofans, first flew on April 25, 1995. The United States Navy adopted a version of the S/II as the T-47A. Production ceased in 2006 after 1,184 of all variants were delivered
The improved Citation S/II (Model S550) was announced in October 1983 and first flew on February 14, 1984, before certification in July. It gained a supercritical airfoil with swept wing roots, aileron and flap gap seals, and a fluid deicing system instead of the pneumatic deicing boots used on earlier Citations. To further reduce drag, the fuselage and engine nacelle pylons were redesigned, and nacelle fairings were added. Fuel capacity was increased by 120 US gal (450 L). The result of the improvements was a cruise speed of 403 kn (746 km/h)—exceeding 400 kn, felt to be an important marketing benchmark by Cessna—and a range of 1,378 nmi (2,552 km) with a 45-minute fuel reserve. The improved 2,500 lbf (11 kN) JT15D-4B engines had higher temperature-rated components, allowing more thrust at higher altitudes.
The S/II replaced the II from 1984, but some potential buyers objected to the sharp price increase from US$2.6 million for the II to $3.3M for the S/II, prompting Cessna to reintroduce the II in late 1985; both were built until the Bravo was introduced. Deliveries of the S/II amounted to 160, including fifteen T-47A aircraft purchased by the U.S. Navy. The S/II's higher performance coupled with its relatively low production total led to substantially higher demand on the used aircraft market compared to the standard II and II/SP.
