A rendering of the JetZero blended wing body aircraft prototype for the US Air Force
In 2023, JetZero announced its Z4 project, designed to carry 250 passengers, targeting the New Midmarket Airplane 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]
