Get ready for another prototype airplane that looks as if it flew straight out of a science-fiction novel.
The Department of the Air Force has selected JetZero’s design for a prototype aircraft that has a swoopy blended wing body, or BWB, rather than the typical tube-and-wing look.
The design has the potential to decrease aerodynamic drag by at least 30% and provide additional lift. This could translate into extended range, more loiter time and increased payload delivery efficiencies for the Air Force.
“Blended wing body aircraft have the potential to significantly reduce fuel demand and increase global reach,” Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said in a news release. “Moving forces and cargo quickly, efficiently, and over long distance is a critical capability to enable national security strategy.”
Commercial aviation could benefit as well. “The BWB is the best first step on the path to zero carbon emissions,” JetZero CEO Tom O’Leary said in a news release. “It offers 50% lower fuel burn using today’s engines, and the airframe efficiency needed to support a transition to zero carbon emissions propulsion in the future. No other proposed aircraft comes close in terms of efficiency.”
California-based JetZero’s partners in the project include Northrop Grumman and its subsidiary, Scaled Composites. JetZero has selected Pratt & Whitney’s GTF engines to power the demonstrator airplane.
The Pentagon plans to invest $235 million in BWB technology over the next four years, with additional private investment expected. The effort is the result of a collaboration involving the Department of the Air Force, NASA and the Defense Innovation Unit, with assistance from the Department of Defense’s Office of Strategic Capital.
The BWB concept has been around for decades, but recent innovations in structural design, materials science, manufacturing processes and other technologies have now made it possible to think about putting the streamlined dream into large-scale production. Flight tests are due to begin by 2027.
This image gallery shows off a sampling of unorthodox aircraft designs. Click on each illustration for a larger version.
More out-of-this-world aircraft
JetZero’s blended wing body design is just one approach for changing the look of future aircraft to improve efficiency and reduce carbon emissions. Here are a few other approaches:
- NASA and Boeing are working together on an experimental aircraft design that takes advantage of thinner, truss-braced wings to improve fuel efficiency. This week, Boeing flew an MD-90 airplane to its facility in Palmdale, Calif., where the conversion to the X-66A experimental aircraft will take place. Flight tests are scheduled to take place in the 2028-2029 time frame.
- There’s a wide variety of electric-powered aircraft in the works, ranging from Eviation’s Alice commuter airplane to the breed of air taxis known as electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing air vehicles, or eVTOLs. In May, Kirkland, Wash.-based Echodyne said it’s teaming up with a Hyundai subsidiary called Supernal to enhance the safety of that company’s eVTOL system. Supernal’s eVTOLs could go into service as early as 2028. But electric aviation still faces challenges: In June, NASA announced that it would close down its X-57 Maxwell electric propulsion program after seven years of work because the technology isn’t ready for prime time.
- NASA and Lockheed Martin are developing the X-59 research airplane to demonstrate technologies aimed at muffling the sonic booms created by supersonic aircraft. Last month, the X-59 made its appearance on the flight line at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in California in July — and flight tests could begin this year.
- Boom Supersonic is developing a faster-than-sound passenger jet called Overture, with a goal of getting the plane into service by 2029. A one-third-scale prototype called the XB-1 is currently undergoing ground tests in California. Just this week, the company reported hiring a former Boeing executive to head up the development of Overture’s propulsion system.
- Radian Aerospace, a startup based in Renton, Wash., is working on a rocket-powered space plane that truly aims to go out of this world — into low Earth orbit, to be precise. Last year the company reported raising $27.5 million in private funding for the project.
