JetZero - A New Entrant To The Commercial Aerospace Duopoly?
Artist rendering of JetZero in flight.
Recent events show JetZero is continuing to make progress against its goal of launching a Blended Wing Body aircraft that could potentially upend the current commercial aerospace duopoly and propel radical change in the flying experience.
The revolutionary aircraft was detailed in my article 'Has the Time Finally Come For This Sci-Fi Looking Aircraft' (Forbes.com, August 29, 2024). Last week I had the opportunity to tour the company's Long Beach, California headquarters and meet with the company's leadership.
The JetZero aircraft promises to reduce fuel burn and emissions by 50% due to reduced drag of the aerostructure. Alaska Airlines has invested in the project and the US Air Force has awarded a $235 million contact for a demonstrator that could serve as an air refueling tanker, cargo or transport aircraft. Northrop Grumman, and it's subsidiary, Scaled Composites, are building the prototype in Mojave, California.
Artist rendering of JetZero tanker refueling a US Air Force B-2 bomber.
Over the last several months, JetZero has made several important announcements underscoring its growing momentum. In September of last year, Steve Dickson, former FAA Administrator joined the company's Advisory Board. Dickson oversaw the agency through COVID and recertification of the Boeing MAX after tragic accidents in 2018 and 2019.
In December of 2024, BAe Systems was selected to provide and integrate the actuator control units into the aircraft's flight control systems. Each pilot will have an active sidestick controller. The units are previously certified with Gulfstream and Embraer thereby minimizing risk of performance problems or regulatory delay.
Earlier this month, Delta Airlines announced a partnership with JetZero to assist in the design of the interior through its Sustainable Skies Lab. Departing from the traditional tube and wing architecture of the last century, the Blended Wing Body offers a very different interior space allowing for several changes to the traditional flying experience.
Boarding doors will allow for two abreast entry, speeding the boarding process. Passengers will have their own dedicated overhead bin space, alleviating anxiety as to whether one's bag will be able to be carried in the cabin.
JetZero cabin interior.
Seating will be divided in multiple sections each akin to a small movie theater with sixteen rows apiece. The feel is more that of the upper first class deck of the Boeing 747, which was a favorite of many frequent fliers.
Lavatories and galleys will also be more accessible as passengers will not have to traverse a long tube to get to the rear of the aircraft. Although the interior design is still being finalized, the horizontal spread of the aircraft cabin and reduced depth mean that a lavatory, or galley, is within six to seven rows fore or aft.
Two days after the Delta news, JetZero announced the selection of Pratt & Whitney and Collins Aerospace of Raytheon Technologies as the providers of the propulsion system and supporting structures. JetZero will use Pratt's PW2040 engine which powers the Boeing 757 and US Air Force C-17 Globemaster transport. Each engine can provide 37,000 to 43,000 pounds of thrust. The engines sit over the body of the aircraft allowing for noise attenuation.
Pratt & Whitney Canada will provide the Auxiliary Power Unit of which 3,800 are certified and in use on aircraft. Collins Aerospace will design and build the nacelle structure, which includes the engine inlet, fan cowl, fan duct, fairings and engine support structure. Collins has provided such structures to the Boeing 787, Airbus A350, A320neo and A220 and the Embraer E2.
A central tenet of the design philosophy of JetZero is to use hardware and systems that have already been certified. As pointed out with the sidesticks, this reduces design and integration lead time and lowers risk. But with engines, there is an added dimension.
Traditionally, improvements in engine design provided the enabling condition for the creation of a new aircraft model. For many decades, improvement in engine efficiency provided the lion's share of overall reduction of operating cost. Wing design and other aerodynamic changes contributed, but engine efficiency was key.
To make an engine more efficient requires hotter internal combustion temperatures, more exotic metal alloys and coatings to withstand the higher operating temperatures and other sophisticated design techniques such as complex shaping of fan blades using leading edge composite and material technologies.
However, the latest generation of engines have experienced a myriad of problems including powdered metal erosion and frictional issues which have grounded airline fleets for months. Moreover, the time to repair the engines has become substantially longer and more expensive.
The Blended Wing Body derives the preponderance of its operating cost improvement from its aerodynamics and thus avoids the risk of propulsion technology that is pushing the limits of physics.
However, the unique architecture of the Blended Wing Body also poses a challenge. The interior of the aircraft is pressurized to allow for the cabin air to contain enough oxygen for the crew and passengers to not have to wear masks. The cylindrical shape of the aircraft tube distributes this pressure relatively evenly around the structure. Non-cylindrical structures are more difficult. JetZero states that they have confidential intellectual property that addresses this issue.
JetZero's recent announcements underwrite a program that is looking to fly a prototype demonstrator in 2027. An assembly location for the aircraft is slated to be announced soon.
But to address the commercial market opportunity - of a 250 seat aircraft that can serve the mid-market of passenger transport - requires investment numbered in the tens of billions of dollars, and has proved to be the undoing of many other aviation start ups recently, such as Aerion, Lilium and Volocopter.
JetZero states they are actively working with potential investors and has strong airline order interest. With Boeing unable to move forward with a new airplane financially, Airbus not needing to, Embraer considering entry into the large market and China gearing up, the playing field is ripe for a new entrant, and a new flying experience.
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