Cessna revealed it was developing the CJ3, a stretched CJ2, at the 2002 NBAA convention. Cessna recorded 156 orders at that Orlando, FL, convention alone.
In terms of size, cost, and performance, the CJ3 fits in a narrow niche between the Citation Bravo and CJ2.
The CJ3 is a CJ2 with a 2-foot stretch to the cabin length, allowing standard seating for six in a center-club configuration. The CJ3 can also have a private lavatory with pocket doors, made possible by the lengthened fuselage. Like the CJ2, the CJ3 features the Collins Pro Line 21 avionics suite. In the CJ3, the co-pilot position comes with the primary flight display as standard. The CJ3 has upgraded Williams FJ44-3A engines that produce 2,780 pounds of thrust.
Certification was received in mid-2004 with deliveries following shortly thereafter.
The Citation CJ3+ was launched in March, 2014. It is basically the same as the CJ3, except the CJ3+ comes with a Garmin 3000 avionics system. It also has an all-new cabin layout
