The U.S. Air Force says it has picked aviation startup JetZero to design and build a full-size demonstrator aircraft with a blended wing body, or BWB, configuration. The goal is for the aircraft, which has already received the informal moniker XBW-1, to be flying by 2027.
Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall made the announcement about JetZero‘s selection at an event today hosted by the Air & Space Forces Association. The service hopes this initiative will offer a pathway to future aerial refueling tankers and cargo aircraft that are significantly more fuel efficient than existing types with more traditional planforms. They can also possess even heavier lifting abilities with large amounts of internal volume, among other advantages. In this way, it could help inform requirements for the Next-Generation Air Refueling System (NGAS) and Next-Generation Airlift (NGAL) programs, which the Air Force is still in the process of refining.
“Blended wing body aircraft have the potential to significantly reduce fuel demand and increase global reach,” Secretary Kendall said in a statement in a separate press release. “Moving forces and cargo quickly, efficiently, and over long distance[s] is a critical capability to enable national security strategy.”
A rendering that JetZero previously released showing its BWB concept. JetZero
The service’s Office of Energy, Installations, and Environment, is leading this initiative in cooperation with the Department of Defense’s Defense Innovation Unit (DIU). DIU is tasked with “accelerating the adoption of leading commercial technology throughout the military,” according to its website. Secretary Kendall said that NASA has also made important contributions to the effort.
“As outlined in the fiscal year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act, the Department of Defense plans to invest $235 million over the next four years to fast-track the development of this transformational dual-use technology, with additional private investment expected,” according to the Air Force’s press release. Additional funding will come from other streams, as well.
The Air Force and DIU have been considering bids for more than a year and by last month had reportedly narrowed the field down to just two competitors. JetZero is the only company to have previously publicly confirmed it was proposing a design, which it calls the Z-5, for the new BWB initiative. The company has partnered with Northrop Grumman on this project. Scaled Composites, a wholly-owned Northrop Grumman subsidiary that is well known for its bleeding-edge aerospace design and rapid prototyping capabilities, will specifically be supporting this work.
A rendering of JetZero’s BWB concept configured as a tanker, with F-35A Joint Strike Fighters flying in formation and receiving fuel. JetZero
A formal request for information issued last year outlined the main goals of the BWB project as centering on a design that would be at least 30 percent more aerodynamically efficient than a Boeing 767 or an Airbus A330. These two commercial airliners are notably the basis for the Boeing KC-46A Pegasus tanker (which has a secondary cargo-carrying capability), dozens of which are in Air Force service now, and the Airbus A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT).
A US Air Force KC-46A Pegasus tanker. USAF
The hope is that the BWB design, combined with unspecified advanced engine technology, could lead to substantially increased fuel efficiency. This, in turn, could allow future Air Force tankers and cargo aircraft based on the core design concept to fly further while carrying similar or even potentially greater payloads than are possible with the service’s current fleets.
“Several military transport configurations are possible with the BWB,” the Air Force’s press release notes. “Together, these aircraft types account for approximately 60% of the Air Force’s total annual jet fuel consumption.”
“We see benefits in both air refueling at range where you can get much more productivity—much more fuel delivered—as well as cargo,” Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Operational Energy had also said during a presentation at the Global Air and Space Chiefs Conference in London in July.
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A rendering of a past BWB design concept from Boeing. Boeing
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Looking at the latest rendering, one thing that has immediately stood out to us is the potential signature management benefits of the design. Beyond having no vertical tail and the general blended body planform, which can already offer radar cross-section advantages, the top-mounted engines positioned at the rear of the fuselage are shielded from most aspects below. This could have major beneficial impacts on the aircraft’s infrared signature, as well as how it appears on radar under many circumstances.
A close-up of the rear end of the latest rendering of JetZero’s blended wing body design concept. USAF
JetZero has previously highlighted how the engine configuration directs sound waves upward, which the company says will reduce its noise signature while in flight, at least as perceived below. This has been touted as beneficial for commercial applications, where noise pollution could be a major issue, but could be useful for versions configured for military roles, as well. A quieter military transport aircraft, for instance, would be advantageous for covert or clandestine missions.
A screen capture from a part of JetZero’s website discussing the noise signature benefits of its blended wing body design. JetZero
The latest rendering for JetZero’s concept also shows passenger windows and doors along the side of the forward fuselage, highlighting its potential use for transporting personnel, as well as cargo. The company is already pitching the core design as a potential high-efficiency mid-market commercial airliner with a 230 to 250-passenger capacity and significant range in addition to military roles.
A close up of the front end of JetZero’s blended wing body design concept from the latest rendering showing the passenger windows and doors along the side. USAF
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A blended wing body concept from the late 1980s credited to McDonnell-Douglas’ engineer Robert Liebeck. Liebeck is among those now working for JetZero. NASA via AviationWeek
“You’re looking at something with roughly a 50% greater efficiency here, right? So,… first order you’re talking about doubling the ranges or possibly doubling the payloads,” Tom Jones, Northrop Grumman Vice President and president of the company’s aeronautics sector, who was also present at today’s event, added. “Additionally, the folded wing type of design gives you a smaller spot factor so you can fit… more aircraft at potentially a remote location. And the aircraft is also capable of some degree of short takeoff [and] landing type things…”
A screen capture from a JetZero promotional video showing project fuel savings for its blended wing body design depending on configuration compared to aircraft with more traditional designs. JetZero capture
“Having a lifting body is a great way to get off the ground quicker,” JetZero’s O’Leary also noted with regard to shorter takeoff and landing capabilities.
These performance improvements could have a number of significant operational benefits for the Air Force when it comes to future tanker and cargo aircraft.
Being able to operate from “shorter runways, [across] longer distances, [with] better efficiency to carry the same payload and get it to places” are all of interest to the Air Force, Maj. Gen. Albert Miller, the Director of Strategy, Plans, Requirements, and Programs at Air Mobility Command, explained.
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Maj. Gen. Miller also stressed that the BWB demonstrator would not necessarily directly meet the Air Force’s demands for future tankers or airlifters. He did add that the design would definitely help inform those requirements and could still be a solution to the operational issues he had highlighted in regard to a future major conflict in the Pacific region.
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A rendering of JetZero’s blended wing body design concept configured as a tanker refueling a notional future stealthy combat jet. Stealthy drones are also seen flying in formation with the crewed aircraft. JetZero
“Why now? Because there’s no time to wait,” Dr. Ravi Chaudhary, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Energy, Installations, and Environment, who also happens to be a retired Air Force officer who flew C-17A Globemaster III cargo planes, said at today’s event. “And all of you have recognized that we’ve entered a new era of great power competition in which the PRC [People’s Republic of China] has come to be known as our pacing challenge.”
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“We’re in a race for technological superiority with what we call a pacing challenge, a formidable opponent [China], and that requires us to find new ways, new methods, and new processes to get the kind of advantage that we’ve become used to and need to preserve,” Secretary Kendall had said in his opening remarks. “And that competitive advantage can be found in the ability to develop and field superior technology to meet our warfighter requirements and to do so faster than our adversaries. Today, that spirit of innovation continues with the Blended Wing Body Program and the demonstration project.”
Kendall added that the potential benefits for the commercial aviation sector offered valuable opportunities for further partnerships.
A rendering of a JetZero blended wing body airliner at a civilian airport. JetZero
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As the project now gets truly underway, more information about the BWB initiative from the government and industry sides will likely emerge. From what we have seen and heard already, the program could have significant impacts on future military and commercial aviation developments.
