Bombardier's Learjet 45 (above) joins the Learjets 31A and 60 in battling eight other aircraft in the midsize market.

Those ten-to-be-11 models are the fruit of just four manufacturers, with Cessna (five), Bombardier (three Learjets) and Raytheon (two) accounting for ten, while Galaxy Aerospace offers one midsize jet, the Astra SPX.

Cessna's been dubbed the "King of Wichita" by senior
analyst and aviation studies director Richard Aboulafia of the Fairfax, Va.-based Teal Group. Reckoned by aircraft unit count, Cessna's the biggest anywhere, with 32% of the business jet market, Teal says. The 3,000th Citation is being delivered here on Wednesday.

Cessna's got four midsize jets, all twins, on the market now:
the Citation Bravo is based on the airframe of the old Citation II, but with PW530A engines. It's priced at $4,994,000 and as such is the most modest of the mids, billed as being able to fly 116 knots faster (402 knots for the Bravo) and two miles higher (41,000 feet) than competing turboprops, but with guaranteed lower operating costs.

the Citation Ultra Encore is likewise touted for cheaper-than-turboprop operating costs, with the superior performance of a jet. It's got a pair of PW535As replacing the Ultra's JT15D-5Ds. Ultra Encore type certification is targeted for the fourth quarter of this year, followed by customer deliveries in the second quarter of 2000. Its price in year 2000 dollars is $6.875 million.
the Citation Excel ($8.5 million) is said to be the only light jet with a stand-up cabin. It's powered by PW545As, and according to Cessna can handle shorter runways than any other midsize. It cruises at 430 knots and "climbs directly to 43,000 feet in just 22 minutes," Cessna says.

the Citation VII, with its TFE731-4R-2Ss, is even faster, cruising at 476 knots. It's certified to 51,000 feet. It's priced at $11.6 million.

Cessna claims Citation Excel is the only midsize business jet with a stand-up cabin.

Bombardier's April 1990 purchase of Learjet gave the Canadian company an immediate position in the middle of the business jet market. Today the $6.3 million Learjet 31A seats up to 10 and can take them about 1,200 nmi. The Bombardier-design Learjet 45, which first flew in October 1995, costs $8.2 million but is roomier and can travel nearly 2,200 nmi, as high as 51,000 feet. The Learjet 60 is priced at $11.4 million and can travel nearly 2,500 nmi, says Bombardier.

Raytheon offers midsize jet buyers the venerable Beechjet 400A and the Hawker 800XP. With respective prices of $6.2 million and $11.6 million, they pretty much bracket the segment. Raytheon secured Chinese certification of both aircraft this year and delivered one of each to the same first-ever Peoples Republic customer, Hainan Airlines. Also helping international sales should be Raytheon's completion this year of RVSM certification for Hawker 800 and 1000 aircraft.

Galaxy's Astra SPX is priced at $12.1 million, and like its big-brother the Galaxy jet ($18.2 million) has quick, 470-knot cruise capability.

Production is at the level of a dozen aircraft a year, built by Galaxy partner Israel Aircraft Industries and completed at the brand-new Galaxy complex in Texas. More than 100 Astras including 30 SPX aircraft are in service.