Following production in China, SkyCatchers will be test flown, disassembled and shipped to three Cessna authorized service stations in the United States: Eagle Aviation in West Columbia, S.C., Yingling Aviation in Wichita, Kan., and Southwest Platinum Aviation in North Las Vegas, Nev. The facilities will reassemble the aircraft and conduct acceptance test flights prior to delivery to Cessna Sales Team Authorized Representatives, who will in turn distribute the aircraft to retail customers.

Cessna has partnered with Shenyang Aircraft Corporation (SAC) for production of the new Model 162 SkyCatcher light sport aircraft (LSA) in Shenyang, China. Cessna will ship the SkyCatcher's engine and avionics, along with raw materials, from the United States to Shenyang for assembly by SAC. Cessna will provide on-site personnel to oversee assembly, quality assurance and technical support.

Cessna announced the go-ahead for the SkyCatcher LSA in July 2007. The aluminum aircraft is designed to meet American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard F2245 for the light sport category. First flight of the prototype Model 162 is set for the first half of 2008 and deliveries are expected to begin in 2009. Cessna expects to produce up to 700 a year at full-rate production.

A mockup of the Cessna SkyCatcher is on display from Jan. 17-20 at the U.S. Sport Aviation Expo in Sebring, Fla.

About Cessna Aircraft Company
Based on unit sales, Cessna Aircraft Company is the world's largest manufacturer of general aviation airplanes. In 2006, Cessna delivered 1,239 aircraft, including 307 Citation business jets, and reported revenues of about $4.2 billion. Cessna has a current backlog of $11.9 billion. Since the company was originally established in 1927, some 190,000 Cessna airplanes have been delivered to nearly every country in the world. The global fleet of more than 5,000 Citations is the largest fleet of business jets in the world. More information about Cessna Aircraft Company is available at http://www.cessna.com.

About Textron Inc.
Textron Inc. is an $11 billion multi-industry company operating in 32 countries with approximately 40,000 employees. The company leverages its global network of aircraft, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell Helicopter, Cessna Aircraft Company, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Greenlee, Fluid & Power, Textron Systems and Textron Financial Corporation. More information is available at http://www.textron.com.

Forward-looking Information: Certain statements in this release are forward-looking statements and speak only as of the date on which they are made, and we undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the statements, including but not limited to the following: [a] changes in worldwide economic and political conditions that impact demand for our products, [b] the interruption of production at Textron facilities or Textron's customers or suppliers; [c] slowdowns or downturns in customer markets in which Textron products are sold or supplied; [d] changes in aircraft delivery schedules or cancellation of orders; and [e] changes in national or international government policies on the export and import of commercial products.