JetZero

Alaska Airlines has become the first commercial operator to declare serious interest in the BWB under development by JetZero, signing options for an undisclosed number of aircraft from the startup.

“This model ... did what it was meant to do, which is it proved the aerodynamics of the nose activating take-off gear,” says JetZero CEO Tom O’Leary.

Plans to replace the three main fleets of mobility aircraft remain decades away, following the production run of the Next Generation Aerial Refueling System.

Bombardier, Embraer, and Gulfstream have shown new aircraft can be developed at reasonable prices.

Blended wing body developer JetZero has received an FAA airworthiness certificate for its 12.5% scaled demo, clearing the uncrewed twin-engine aircraft.

For decades, aircraft manufacturers have preferred derivatives over all-new aircraft. That approach appears to be ending.

An airline operator pre-working group will guide plans for the commercial blended wing body as subscale flight tests pave way for a multirole demonstrator.

JetZero says it is poised to begin flight tests of a subscale version of its full-scale blended wing body multirole demonstrator in the next few weeks.

We may be witnessing the slow demise of what was once the world’s greatest aerospace company, with few identifiable roadblocks to an act of self-immolation.

Aviation Week will continue to set a high bar for balanced, accurate and revealing coverage of this great industry.

Major events in aerospace and defense during 2023.

New aircraft concepts offer hope for airlines struggling with high fuel prices—and for Boeing in its quest to remain commercially relevant.

The U.S. Air Force’s research and acquisition bureaucracy will play only a supporting role as the service’s energy office leads flight demonstration.

After three decades of studies, the BWB will finally become full-scale as JetZero and Scaled Composites ramp up for a multirole U.S. Air Force project.

As Russia pulls out of the CR929 and Airbus and Boeing sit on their hands, JetZero is showing that its radical new concept just might be for real.

Neither OEM has plans for new aircraft programs in the next one or two decades where it matters most in terms of emissions reduction—in the long-haul segment.

The award completes a yearlong selection process managed by the Defense Innovation Unit.

JetZero says the demonstrator will provide the platform for a mid-market aircraft with capacity for up to 250 passengers and a range of at least 5,000 nm.

Readers write about JetZero’s blended wingbody, SpaceX’s Starship/Super Heavy launch failure and airliner engine nacelles. Plus: Behind the Scenes at Boeing.