JetZero
American aviation company
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
JetZero is a startup company in the aviation industry founded in Long Beach, California, in 2021.[1] It focuses on blended wing body aircraft.[2][3] The U.S. Air Force, NASA, and a small group of private investors supplied the initial funding.[4]
 | |
| Industry | Aerospace |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2021 in Long Beach, California |
| Founders | |
| Headquarters | , U.S. |
| Website | www |
Tom O’Leary is a co-founder and the CEO. Mark Page is a co-founder and the Chief Technology Officer (CTO).[4] The company announced it will invest $4.7 billion to build its first manufacturing plant near Piedmont Triad International Airport in Guilford County, North Carolina, which will produce its next-generation middle of the market passenger aircraft, the Z4, creating over 14,500 jobs.[5]
History
In 2023, JetZero announced its Z4 project, designed to carry 250 passengers, targeting the middle-of-the-market category, to use existing Pratt & Whitney PW2040 43,000 lbf (190 kN) engines.[6][7][8] In August 2023, the U.S. Air Force announced a $235-million contract awarded over a four-year period to JetZero, culminating in first flight of the full-scale demonstrator by the first quarter of 2027.[9] The goal of the contract is to demonstrate the capabilities of BWB technology, giving the Department of Defense and commercial industry more options for their future air platforms.[10][11] In January 2024 the company began moving into a 275,000 sq ft (25,500 m2) space at Long Beach Airport formerly occupied by Gulfstream.[1] In March 2024 its Pathfinder 1:8 scale demonstrator received its airworthiness certificate from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), clearing the aircraft for test flights at Edwards Air Force Base in California.[12][13][14]
The Demonstrator aircraft is being built in partnership with Scaled Composites (Northrop Grumman).[15]