Textron Aviation Inc., a Textron Inc. company, is showcasing its first air ambulance configuration of the popular Citation Latitude at its static display at the 2019 European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition, highlighting the company's strength in special mission capabilities across its wide range of Beechcraft and Cessna aircraft. The Latitude, purchased by Babcock Scandinavian Air Ambulance for aeromedical operations in Norway, delivers the first custom OEM interior solution for medevac missions on the platform. The production-certified interior configuration offers compatibility with a wide range of medical equipment, giving operators flexibility in selecting the perfect fixtures to meet their mission requirements.
"For our mission-centric customers, we are excited about what the medevac Citation Latitude offers by the way of range, cabin size and speed in emergency situations where minutes count," said Doug May, vice president, Special Missions. "Having our medical interior certified in production as part of the aircraft type certificate is another major win for our customers, providing significant cost and risk reduction for those outfitting the Latitude with their medical equipment of-choice as it comes off the line."
With the interior certified in 2018, the medevac Citation Latitude on display also features a single-sled stretcher, expanded cabin door and a SATCOM radio system for emergency communications. Plans for interior certifications on other aircraft, including medevac options for the pressurized Citation CJ4 and Citation XLS+, are also underway. Future aircraft, notably the Cessna Denali and Cessna SkyCourier, are progressing through design phases with technical renderings and engineering expertise from the Special Missions team to incorporate mission capabilities as part of their respective type certifications.