Textron Aviation on July 20 said a new variant of the Cessna Citation Longitude can perform maritime patrol missions.
The super midsize business jet, which entered commercial service in 2019, can fly 8-hr. missions and up to 3,500 nm carrying an electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) sensor and a maritime radar.
The company says the onboard systems, which include a cabin equipped with two consoles for mission operators, make the maritime patrol aircraft variant of the Longitude suitable for search and rescue, border patrol and monitoring fisheries.
“The Cessna Citation Longitude jet provides an excellent value for Special Mission operations due to its acquisition cost and operation cost combined with excellent speed, range and payload capacity,” says Bob Gibbs, Textron’s vice president for Special Mission Sales.
The configuration includes a belly pod forward of the wing for a maritime radar. A retractable turret for the EO/IR sensor is located on the dorsal side of the empennage.
