Business Aviation   Aircraft Manufacturing (OEMs)   Aviation Safety & Regulation   Textron  

Cessna Citation CJ3 Gen3 prototype completes first flight as Textron Aviation advances FAA certification

Bookmark this story

Textron Aviation’s Cessna Citation CJ3 Gen3 prototype flew for the first time in Wichita as the light-jet program moves further along the FAA certification path. The CJ3 Gen3 joins the CJ4 Gen3 and M2 Gen3 in flight testing, with Garmin Emergency Autoland and customer-driven enhancements included.

Discovered 2026-07-29T10:34:53.402695-07:00 | 2026-07-29T10:34:53.402695-07:00

Briefing

What Hype is tracking

  • The CJ3 Gen3 first flight adds to the existing Gen3 flight-test base (with CJ4 Gen3 and M2 Gen3), tightening the timeline toward FAA certification for Textron’s entry-level cabin segment.
  • Garmin Emergency Autoland is a notable systems step for the aircraft’s safety/mission profile; flight-testing begins validating that feature alongside other customer-inspired updates.
  • This builds on Textron’s broader Gen3 certification sequencing, including the CJ3 Gen3-adjacent M2 Gen3 FAA certification effort, which signals coordinated product modernization across the light-jet lineup.

Reported By

Aeronews businessjetinteriorsinternational.com aerobuzz.fr Aviacionline pilootenvliegtuig.nl aircraftinteriorstoday.com
Sources Tracked
18
First Seen
2026-07-29T10:34:53.402695-07:00
Latest Update
2026-08-02T01:58:23.311667-07:00
Coverage
Aviation

Sources

Hype groups these reports into one evolving story so you can compare coverage without losing the thread.

Related Coverage