Cessna Aircraft Company, a Textron Inc. company, today rolled out the 400th production unit of the company’s CJ3 business jet from its production facility in Wichita, Kan. The CJ3 is categorized as a light business jet and is in its ninth year of service. The event was marked with a rollout celebration and a photo opportunity for Cessna employees from the CJ3 assembly line.

“This milestone is testimony to the CJ line of products being the most successful family of business jets in the world,” said Don Beverlin, business leader for the CJ line. “The Cessna operators who build and the technicians who service the CJ products take great pride in providing the customer with a safe, reliable product that meets all their transportation needs. Cessna customers have confidence in the first 400, and we know they’ll have the same level of confidence in the next 400.”

Throughout its near decade of service, analysts have praised the single-pilot CJ3 for its fuel efficiency, low operating costs, and large payload capabilities. The Citation CJ3 was awarded its second “Best of the Best” in the light business jet category by the Robb Report in June 2010. Cessna’s family of Citation Jets excels in the light jet category. Since the inception of the first Citation Jet in 1993, Cessna has delivered nearly five times as many CJ’s combined than any other competitive model. Cessna has sold nearly 70 percent more CJ3 model aircraft than any in-class competition.

The CJ3 can be serviced at any of the eight U.S. based Cessna-owned Citation Service Centers, or one of the seven international Citation Service Centers. The aircraft is powered by two Williams FJ44-3A engines and is certified for single pilot operations. The CJ3 can fly non-stop from New York to Miami, Los Angeles to Chicago, London to Moscow, or Beijing to Manila. Maximum range for the CJ3 is 1,875 nm, with a flight ceiling of 45,000 ft. Up to eight passengers can fly on the CJ3.

Cessna press release