JetZero, an aerospace startup focused on fuel-efficient jets, will construct and fly a sleek latest prototype aircraft that would sooner or later join the Air Force’s mobility fleet, the service announced Wednesday.
The Z-5 airframe — a blended wing body design with an oblong fuselage and long, skinny wings that appears more like a B-2 Spirit bomber than it does a Boeing 747 — was chosen over one other competitor in a yearlong contest led by the Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit. JetZero will ready a full-scale prototype for its first flight in 2027.
The choice marks a brand new milestone in aircraft design and offers a glimpse right into a more capable, greener future for the Air Force inventory. Service officials praised the offering as a key development that can position the U.S. military to outpace Chinese technology and outmaneuver its forces in a possible conflict.
“We’re going into this latest area where it’s all about bringing capabilities … to the Air Force, the warfighter [and] the industrial space,” JetZero Chief Executive Officer Tom O’Leary said at an Air and Space Forces Association event to unveil the plan.
The Pentagon’s renewed give attention to the Pacific as its top priority has placed a premium on assets that may travel farther and faster without breaking the bank. Cargo and tanker aircraft are expected to fly into harm’s far more often, spurring the military and defense industry to reimagine the big, slow platforms for contested areas.
And the earlier that mobility assets can reach their destination, the more flexibility it gives the remaining of the joint force on the battlefield.
“Greater range increases lethality. Fuel efficiency conserves our energy resources and allows us to generate more sorties,” said Ravi Chaudhary, the Air Force’s assistant secretary for energy, installations and environment. “In an era through which installations will not be the sanctuary they were in previous conflicts, this capability goes to be critical.”
The service last summer described blended wing body design as “one among the only most impactful technology opportunities for future U.S. Air Force aircraft.”
That approach flattens a conventional tube fuselage right into a more aerodynamic, somewhat triangular shape to hold payloads where the wing meets the body and be less visible on radar.
The comparatively lighter design could possibly be around 50% more efficient than a conventional mobility aircraft and capable of travel twice as far — a goal that, if achieved, could substantially shrink one among the Air Force’s significant annual expenses in addition to its environmental footprint. Air Force aircraft and bases guzzle around 2 billion gallons of fuel, costing many billions of dollars, every year.
JetZero’s three way partnership with Northrop Grumman on the Z-5 has received $40 million in government funds in fiscal 2023, Chaudhary said. The military will put $235 million toward the initiative through 2026, plus more from private investors.
If flight tests are successful, Air Force officials may consider a version of the JetZero aircraft to switch the C-5 and C-17 transport aircraft or to follow the KC-46 tanker.
Chaudhary said the Air Force will concurrently construct up the provision chain and other logistics it must transition the prototype to a full-fledged program, if the service taps it to make the jump into real-world operations.
But Maj. Gen. Albert Miller, Air Mobility Command’s director for strategy and plans, cautioned against viewing the jet as the only real solution for the Air Force’s next-generation airlift and air refueling programs.
As a minimum, it could offer a brand new perspective on the fuel efficiency and stealth qualities that workhorse aircraft will need in the longer term, he said.
The Air Force said in a press release the identical day that “several military transport configurations are possible” using blended wing body aircraft. Officials also hailed its potential applications for industrial air travel as well.
“This project is a win-win for the industrial industry in addition to for the DoD,” Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said. “That is going to be a pathfinder project that’s going to make a giant difference.”
Rachel Cohen joined Air Force Times as senior reporter in March 2021. Her work has appeared in Air Force Magazine, Inside Defense, Inside Health Policy, the Frederick News-Post (Md.), the Washington Post, and others.