JetZero to Build Blended Wing-Body Aircraft in North Carolina

JetZero will invest $4.7 billion in a factory to build its Z4 Blended Wing-Body aircraft in Greensboro, N.C. The company announced June 12 that its investment will create 14,500 jobs in the region, perhaps the largest job announcement in the states history.

Calling it “the factory of the future, “the new facility will be located at the Piedmont Triad Airport. To enhance its hiring pool, JetZero will invest $30 million in the North Carolina Community College system to develop a “customized workforce” pipeline to supply the plant with staff over the next decade, according to a state government press release.

Developed in part with $235 million in Air Force funding, JetZero’s initial BWB demonstrator is supposed to begin test flights in 2027. The objective Z4 aircraft aims to fulfill both commercial passenger and cargo roles, as well as become a potential airlift and tanker aircraft for the Air Force.

The Air Force is trying to diversify its supplier base and invested in the startup because of the potential advantages of its design for both military and civilian use. But the Z4 does not have an inside track to win any future airlift or tanker competition, Air Force officials have said.

The factory is planned to be “fully-digital and AI-driven to outpace legacy original equipment manufacturers by ramping up faster, cutting unit costs, boosting quality and hardening the supply chain,” the company said. The airliner version of the Z4, which the company hopes to begin delivering in in 2030, would carry about 230 passengers.

JetZero said it has “secured investments and conditional purchase agreements from Alaska Airlines and United Airlines.” About 14 airlines “have joined JetZero’s Airline Working Group to provide input on their needs, including the requirement for the Z4 to readily fit into today’s airport infrastructure.”

North Carolina Governor Josh Stein’s office said the state’s 2.25 percent corporate tax rate and its low cost of living helped attract JetZero, and the company will also partner with Siemens’ Smart Infrastructure, Electrification, and Automation divisions, which are also headquartered in North Carolina, to design its factory with the most efficient technologies possible.

“Siemens also supports JetZero’s design/build/test model for the demonstrator aircraft, a full-scale prototype slated for first flight in 2027,” the governor’s statement said.

JetZero is readying a non-flying ground version of the Z4 for testing and test flights are already underway using a subscale model. Full-scale fuel tanks are undergoing tests and a wing test article is being evaluated. Cockpit tooling is complete, company officials said, and the critical design review for the demonstrator is expected “soon.”

Once the North Carolina facility is completed, the company will move its headquarters to the new site.

The company describes the Z-4 as “a game-changer, slashing fuel burn, emissions and costs with its ultra-efficient all-wing body design. By maximizing lift and minimizing drag, it will deliver up to 50 percent greater fuel efficiency and associated emissions reduction.” The aircraft will also deliver “a cleaner, quieter and improved travel experience” in airliner service, and be able to operate out of airfields with shorter runways, JetZero said. The aircraft is being designed and developed in Califiornia with the help of Northrop Grumman’s Scaled Composites unit, and is expected to enter commercial service “in the early 2030s.”

Northrop and JetZero are expected to offer a “KC-Z4” version of the aircraft for the Air Force’s  Next-Generation Air Refueling system (NGAS) requirement. The concept aircraft would have a gross operating weight of 362,000 pounds, with a total fuel load of 200,000 pounds; that’s comparable to today’s KC-135 and KC-46 aerial refueling jets. But the efficiency of the blended wing-body promises greater range and its cargo capacity is anticipated to exceed the KC-46, 21 pallets vs. 18, a difference of about 17 percent.

A cargo-only version would also require a rear ramp, which is not part of the prototype effort, and would require a different tail design, company officials said.