Civil Air Patrol orders 21 Cessna aircraft for search and rescue, youth missions

Civil Air Patrol (CAP) has ordered 21 new Cessna piston aircraft from Textron Aviation, destined to support its search and rescue, disaster response, training and youth programs across the United States.

Textron Aviation announced the order on October 21, 2026, and expects to complete deliveries during 2027. The order comprises seven Cessna Skyhawk 172s, 11 Cessna Skylane 182s, two Cessna Turbo Skylane T182Ts and one Cessna Turbo Stationair HD 206.

CAP, a nonprofit that serves as the official civilian auxiliary of the US Air Force, is already the world’s largest operator of Cessna aircraft, with a fleet of 543 single-engine planes.

Aircraft to support search and rescue, disaster response and youth programs

CAP’s 72,000 members, about 35,000 adults and 37,000 young cadets, operate from 1,424 locations nationwide.

Beyond emergency services, the organization supports military training and government agencies and runs aviation and STEM education programs for cadets, who can join up from the age of 12.

“These Cessna aircraft help ensure our members are ready when communities need us, whether searching for someone who is missing, responding after a disaster, or introducing young people to aviation,” said Major General Regena Aye, CAP’s national commander and CEO.

Since October 2024, CAP has flown nearly 200,000 hours, carried out 860 search and rescue missions and saved 104 lives, according to the organization. It claims to have saved nearly 5,000 lives since it began tracking in 1967.

CAP also reported that its work has delivered an estimated $334 million in operational value in 2025.

Textron cites CAP’s long relationship with Cessna

Bob Gibbs, Textron Aviation’s vice president of defense and special mission sales, said that CAP “has a remarkable ability to turn flight hours into real impact for communities across the country”.

“From search and rescue to disaster response and aviation education, these missions demand aircraft that are capable, dependable and ready to serve,” he said.

The aircraft will be built at Textron Aviation’s facility in Independence, Kansas, where CAP leaders Major General Aye and Brigadier General R. Jason Bailey recently toured the Cessna piston assembly line.

Textron Aviation, a unit of Textron Inc., also makes Beechcraft, Hawker and Pipistrel aircraft, as well as supplying special mission aircraft for roles such as air ambulance, surveillance, aerial survey and training.

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