It’s no secret that Embraer is rapidly adding new business jets to its product line, but what’s interesting about that is that the Brazilian company seems to be the only aircraft manufacturer expanding its offerings to compete with super-prolific Cessna. Embraer doesn’t compete on the lower end with Cessna, in the piston-engine market or the single-engine turboprop field or even the small VLJ arena, but if the Brazilian manufacturer continues at its current rapid pace, Cessna will face some serious competition in the larger business jet sector.

At this point, Embraer is delivering only one business jet, the super-midsize/large-cabin Legacy 600, which makes it at first blush appear relatively uncompetitive in the jet marketplace. But the company has three new jets in development and two concept jets in the wings, while Cessna has one new jet under construction and one concept jet awaiting launch.

If both go ahead with their concept jets and continue with their current plans, here’s how the lineup looks.

Embraer is carefully filling the niches in its business jet product line. The MLJ (midlight jet) and MSJ (midsize jet) are intended to serve a sweet spot of a market segment, between the Phenoms and the Legacy 600. “This segment–the midlight and midsize–accounts for about 22 percent of the total market in terms of units,” said Luis Carlos Affonso, Embraer executive vice president for executive jets.

The chart also shows that Embraer still has a lot of catching up to do if it wants to make inroads in the market that Cessna has spent three-and-a-half decades building. And there are specific opportunities that Embraer might be expected to tackle as well. On the smaller end of the business jet scale, in very light jet territory, Embraer has no competing offering. The Phenom 100 is a VLJ in weight, but in cabin volume it bumps up into the small light segment.

Embraer clearly has plenty to offer the market for larger business jets, thanks to its heritage as a regional airliner manufacturer. Although Embraer isn’t Cessna’s only competition (airplanes made by Bombardier, Dassault and Hawker Beechcraft compete with Cessna’s), Embraer is pushing into the business jet arena with spectacular aggression, and it is likely that the open spots in the chart won’t stay open for too long.

“We will be successful only if we design the aircraft the customer wants,” said Embraer’s Henrique Langenegger, vice president of programs for executive jets.
On September 25, Cessna chairman, president and CEO Jack Pelton gave a Large Cabin Concept (LCC) presentation to the board of directors of Cessna owner Textron. If all goes as planned, Cessna should be announcing the launch of the LCC as soon as the first quarter of next year.

There is a wild card, however. Cessna’s announcement at this year’s NBAA Convention that it will try to buy bankrupt Columbia Aircraft (see 'Bid for Columbia marks departure for Cessna'), manufacturer of high-performance piston-powered single-engine composite airplanes, signals that the Wichita manufacturer is willing to gain product and market share by acquisition, something that it has never done before. This raises speculation that Cessna might consider buying business jet programs that are also facing financial and operational challenges, such as the Sino Swearingen SJ30, Eclipse 500 or Adam A700. Perhaps Embraer is considering this, too.

Cessna told AIN, “We have nine business jet models specifically suited to meet a range of requirements within the light to midsize categories. We also have plans for additional products based on customer input.” The competition is heating up, underscoring just how important the business jet market has become for an airplane manufacturer’s future prosperity.

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