Aug. 16—JetZero, a Long Beach aviation startup, has been awarded a $235 million contract by the U.S. Air Force to develop a sleek and fuel-efficient next-generation airplane.
The project entails creating a more fuel-efficient aircraft using a blended-wing body design. Initial testing of a prototype is expected to be completed as early as 2027.
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JetZero, based at Long Beach Airport, will be paid over a four-year term through the Department of Defense's Defense Innovation Unit.
JetZero CEO Tom O'Leary said the blended wing design is the best first step on the path to zero-carbon emissions. "No other proposed aircraft comes close in terms of efficiency," he said.
Speaking at a press conference Wednesday, Aug. 16, U.S. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall noted the importance of the BWB project.
"We're in a race for technological superiority," he said. "There really is the potential to increase fuel efficiency with significant implications for our industrial base to help us maintain our technological lead over China."
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Founded in 2021, the core of the JetZero team includes engineers who pioneered the blended wing body concept, led by company founder and Chief Technology Officer Mark Page. As a McDonnell Douglas engineer in the 1990s, Page led a three-year NASA initiative to research and design future BWB projects.
NASA has since spent more than $1 billion on R&D of the blended-wing technology, much of it conducted by Page and his associates.
JetZero has 75 direct employees but estimates that could double to meet the needs of the project, company spokesman Jeff Miller said.
"Once we get through the certification process, the demand could be quite high," he said.
A BWB aircraft's wings and body are smoothly blended together with no clear dividing line. The new aircraft, which has yet to be named, will tout a longer flying range and the capability to land on shorter runways, project officials said.
The aircraft's design also will decrease aerodynamic drag by at least 30% and provide more lift. All of that translates into extended range and increased payload capabilities — factors that will reduce logistics risks during times of warfare, the Air Force said.
"Blended-wing body aircraft have the potential to significantly reduce fuel demand and increase global reach," Kendall said. "Moving forces and cargo quickly, efficiently and over long distance is a critical capability to enable national security strategy."
Ravi I. Chaudhary, assistant secretary of the Air Force for energy, installations and environment, said that will make the plane better suited to warfare conditions in expansive, open areas.
"The greater range increases lethality," Chaudhary said Wednesday. "It reduces ground time and gets us airborne quicker."
Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson said the city stands to benefit from JetZero's newly awarded contract.
"Their investment in our city will create hundreds of high-paying jobs, boost our economy and add to our city's profile as a leader in cutting-edge aerospace technology and manufacturing," Richardson said in a statement.
The project is the result of collaboration between the Air Force, NASA and the Defense Innovation Unit, with assistance from the Department of Defense's Office of Strategic Capital.
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