When the Citation X was announced, the Citation 650 series, the "family" at the top of the product line, the
Citations III, VI, and VII, was eight years old. In 1990, Cessna made a proposition for an improved 650 model to their Customer Advisory Council. The council was interested in some new elements such as increased speed and a pressurized baggage compartment. This pushed Cessna toward the Citation X program, which became the new 750 series. Cessna wanted to improve the image of the Citation family. The Citation models that emerged in the 1970s were originally intended to be practical and with good handling qualities. Consequently, they turned out to be much slower than the competing
Learjets. Cessna had difficulties in shedding the popular image of the Citation as a slow airplane, even though their jets had eventually become as fast as the competition. The development of the Citation X was first announced at the
National Business Aviation Association Convention in
New Orleans in October 1990. Concurrently, engine development was conducted aboard a Cessna 650 Citation III testbed that flew with dissimilar/mismatched engines. A standard Garrett TFE731 was left installed on the left engine pylon, and the right-side engine was replaced with a larger Rolls-Royce AE 3007 designed for the Citation X, enabling flight test engineers to subject it to temperatures, pressures, and loads that could not be replicated on the ground. The first Citation X prototype made its maiden flight on December 21, 1993.