Cessna Citation II
| Cessna Citation II / IISP / SII Citation Bravo |
|
|---|---|
 |
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| Role | Corporate jet |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | Cessna |
| First flight | 31 January 1977 |
| Produced | 1978–2006 |
| Number built | 1184 : 688 II, 336 Bravo, 160 S550 |
| Developed from | Cessna Citation I |
The Cessna Citation II was the first of the Model 550 series of Citation jets, which are light corporate jet built by Cessna. A direct development of the Citation I, the Citation II led to the later development of the Citation II/SP, the S550 Citation S/II, and the Citation Bravo. The Citation II was also used by the United States Navy under the designation T-47A for radar system training.
The Citation II, Model 550, was a direct development from the Citation I. The earlier aircraft's success in the market led Cessna to believe there was demand for a larger aircraft that utilized the same design philosophy. The result was the Citation II, which had a maximum seating capacity of 10. In addition to more seats, the plane had more powerful JT15D-4 engines (2,500 lbf (11 kN) thrust per engine), increase of fuel capacity to approximately 5000 lb, faster speeds and longer range. First flight was on 31 January 1977, and the aircraft was certified for two-pilot operation in March 1978. A total of 603 aircraft were built before the Citation II was replaced by the Bravo in the production line.
The US Customs & Border Protection purchased ten Citation IIs configured with fire control radar (initially the F-16's APG-66(V), later the Selex ES Vixen 500E system) and the WF-360TL imaging system. These aircraft have been used effectively in Panama, Honduras, Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, Mexico and Aruba and are not to be confused with the similar OT-47B aircraft, which are based on the Cessna Citation V airframe.
Like the Citation I/SP, the Model 551 Citation II/SP was launched as Cessna's means of competing in the turboprop market, which predominantly are operated single-pilot, so the aircraft was re-certified for single-pilot operations.
The Model 552 T-47A was the designation given by the U.S. Navy to the Citation II. Fifteen aircraft were purchased by the Navy to train Naval Flight Officers, primarily its Navy F-14 Tomcat Radar Intercept Officers, Navy and Marine Corps A-6 Intruder Bombardier/Navigators, Navy and Marine Corps EA-6B Prowler Electronic Warfare Officers, Marine Corps F/A-18D Hornet Weapon Systems Officers and Navy S-3 Viking Copilot/Tactical Coordinators. The T-47A was modified by incorporating JT15D5 engines, shortened wings, multiple radar consoles and the AN/APQ-167 radar system.
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