United Airlines Bets on LB’s JetZero

United Airlines has announced an investment in JetZero, a Long Beach-based startup pioneering an innovative new aircraft design with the potential to halve fuel consumption and reshape the future of air travel.

The collaboration includes a conditional purchase agreement for up to 200 of JetZero’s blended wing body (BWB) airplanes, contingent on the company achieving key development milestones, including the first flight of a full-scale prototype commercial plane in 2027.

JetZero’s Z4 aircraft, an “all wing” design, promises a substantial leap in fuel efficiency, potentially cutting fuel burn per passenger mile by as much as 50% compared to similarly sized conventional aircraft. This efficiency gain could translate into significant operational cost savings for airlines, substantially reducing the aviation industry’s greenhouse gas emissions.

“If successful, JetZero has the potential to evolve our core mainline business by developing aircraft with a bigger, more comfortable cabin experience for our customers while increasing fuel efficiency across our network,” said Andrew Chang, head of United Airlines Ventures, in a press release. “United Airlines Ventures was created to support our efforts to find innovative companies that can enhance the customer travel experience and help the airline lower its carbon footprint, and we believe JetZero reflects that philosophy.”

For JetZero, the investment from a major airline like United represents a robust validation of its ground-breaking technology and potential to disrupt the aviation industry. The Long Beach-based company, headquartered at Long Beach Airport on Donald Douglas Drive, aims to make the traditional “tube and wing” airplane design a relic of the past.

“United’s investment in our company signals the industry’s belief that new, innovative technology is needed in order to achieve the efficiency and cost savings that will be required to meet the continued growth in demand for air travel across the globe,” said Tom O’Leary, CEO and co-founder of JetZero. “JetZero is focused on one key technology – the airframe – that enables us to address all of the barriers to growth. This program is the only one in development today that promises efficiency and an elevated customer experience.”

JetZero’s multi-use platform concept also envisions military applications, including advanced refueling tankers and efficient transport aircraft for long-range operations.

Blended Wing Body Design

At the core of JetZero’s mission is its innovative blended wing body (BWB) aircraft design. Unlike conventional airplanes with a distinct tubular fuselage and separate wings, a BWB aircraft integrates the wing and the main body into a single, efficient lifting surface.

The core principle behind the BWB’s enhanced efficiency is the reduction of aerodynamic drag. In a traditional aircraft, the fuselage or tube shape portion contributes to weight and drag but provides little lift. The wings generate the primary lift, often creating whirls at their tips, which induce drag and increase fuel consumption. The tail section also contributes to the overall “wetted area” of the plane, further increasing drag and requiring a downward force to balance the aircraft, which is essentially wasted energy.

The BWB design mitigates these inefficiencies by creating an ovoid lift distribution across the entire aircraft. The absence of a “tube” and the smooth integration of the wings means a larger portion of the aircraft generates lift, reducing the need for large wings and minimizing wing tip whirls. This innate aerodynamic advantage translates directly into lower fuel burn. The U.S. Air Force, which awarded JetZero a $235 million contract in 2023 to expedite the development of a BWB prototype, estimates that the design decreases aerodynamic drag by at least 30%.

Furthermore, the blended wing body’s structure allows for a more even distribution of weight and lift, reducing bending stress at the wing roots, a critical reinforcement area in traditional aircraft. This reduction in structural reinforcement can lead to a lighter aircraft, further contributing to fuel efficiency.

The unique shape of the BWB also offers the potential for a more spacious interior compared to a tube fuselage of similar capacity. This opens possibilities for innovative seating arrangements, wider seats, dedicated overhead bin space for every passenger, and improved accessibility with wider aisles and larger lavatories. The boarding process could also be streamlined with wider main entry doors and multiple aisles, facilitating more efficient passenger distribution.

JetZero’s Z4 airplane is designed to accommodate approximately 250 passengers and has an international range of 5,000 nautical miles. Importantly, the aircraft is designed to utilize existing engine technology and can operate on conventional jet fuel and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) blends. This compatibility with current infrastructure and future fuel sources positions the BWB as a viable near-term solution for reducing aviation emissions.

The placement of the engines on top of the aircraft is another distinctive feature of the JetZero design. This configuration is expected to significantly reduce noise pollution reaching communities below, enabling 24/7 airport operations where noise restrictions exist.

Vision a Century in the Making

The blended wing body concept is not entirely new; it originated in the 1920s, and research and testing dates back to the 1990s by NASA and Stanford University. However, JetZero aims to be the first to bring a commercially viable BWB aircraft to market.

The co-founders of JetZero, Tom O’Leary and Mark Page, bring a blend of business insight and aerospace engineering expertise to the venture, founding the company in 2021.

Mark Page, the company’s Chief Technology Officer, is an aerospace engineer credited as one of the modern blended wing body design inventors, along with Dr. Robert Liebeck and Blaine Rawdon, technical advisors at JetZero. Page previously served as a program manager at McDonnell Douglas, a company with a history in Long Beach’s aerospace sector. Their early work laid the foundation for the advancements JetZero is now pursuing.

Tom O’Leary, the CEO and Chairman of the Board, brings a diverse background in startups across various industries, including aviation, automotive and technology. His previous roles include leadership positions at Autoweb.com, Ford Dealer Connection, eBay Motors and Tesla, where he managed the rollout of the company’s first retail stores. In 2015, O’Leary joined BETA Technologies as Chief Operating Officer, where he recruited Mark Page to design BETA’s all-electric aircraft.

The decades of research into blended wing technology, including extensive work by NASA with experimental models like the X-48, have addressed key challenges such as stability and control for tailless aircraft. Advancements in fly-by-wire technology and lightweight yet strong composite materials have made the BWB design more feasible for commercial applications.

JetZero is currently in the demonstration phase of its program, focusing on designing, building and testing its full-scale demonstrator aircraft, slated for its first flight in 2027 in the Mojave Desert. This demonstrator program is being conducted in partnership with Scaled Composites, a subsidiary of Northrop Grumman. Northrop Grumman, a company with a long history in developing “flying wing” designs for military applications, will manufacture the demonstrator.

For any inquiries or further information, please contact Jose Cervantes at JoseC.Press@pm.me.