JetZero Receives $235M Defense Department Award to Develop Blended-Wing Aircraft

The demonstrator airplane, which is expected to take its first flight in 2027, is designed to cut fuel consumption, emissions and noise.

Jonathan Welsh

Thursday, August 17, 2023 at 03:44 PM ET

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JetZero plans to build and fly its blended-wing demonstrator by 2027. [Courtesy: JetZero]

Key Takeaways:

The U.S. Air Force, through its Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), is investing $235 million in JetZero's blended wing body (BWB) aircraft design to significantly cut fuel consumption, emissions, and noise.
The funding will be used over four years to build a full-scale BWB demonstrator aircraft, with its first flight targeted for the first quarter of 2027.
The BWB design promises 50 percent lower fuel burn with current engines and is engineered for a future transition to zero-carbon hydrogen propulsion, addressing the aviation industry's carbon footprint.

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Aircraft developer JetZero said the Air Force is investing in the company’s blended wing body, or BWB, aircraft design aimed at cutting fuel consumption, emissions, and noise.

Under the terms of an award from the Department of Defense’s Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), JetZero will receive $235 million over four years, during which it will build a full-scale demonstrator aircraft to validate the blended-wing concept. The award period is expected to culminate in the demonstrator’s first flight by the first quarter of 2027.