Textron Aviation has rolled out the first production Cessna Citation CJ4 Gen3 at its facility in Wichita, Kansas, moving the light business-jet programme from development and flight testing towards serial production. The aircraft is progressing towards entry into service with Garmin G3000 PRIME avionics, Emergency Autoland and other customer-driven upgrades, although the rollout does not represent a customer delivery or confirm an entry-into-service date.
The CJ4 Gen3 is expected to become the first light jet marketed with Garmin Emergency Autoland. If the pilot becomes incapacitated, the system is designed to assume control, select a suitable airport, fly the approach and landing, and bring the aircraft to a stop.
The updated Citation CJ4 also incorporates integrated autothrottles and other changes to the existing light-jet platform. The programme has accumulated nearly 1,100 flight-test hours across two aircraft, including recent hot-weather operations and electrical-system certification work.
Textron Aviation’s rollout provides a production aircraft for the remaining certification and preparation work before commercial introduction. Earlier expectations for entry into service had shifted from 2026 to 2027, while the company has not identified the first aircraft’s customer or registration.