At an Air & Space Forces Association event on August 17, USAF Secretary of State Frank Kendall awarded the contract for the construction of a demonstrator of a future large transport and tanker aircraft with a full-size wing-only fuselage design. Surprisingly, the contract was awarded to JetZero, a start-up start-up JetZero in Long Beachwhich will, however, be working with big player Northrop Grumman on the realization. The futuristic “Blended-Wing-Body” (BWB) with the informal designation XBW-1 should be ready to fly as early as 2027.
Not just military equipment in mind
The radical design is not based purely on a military concept; it should also include 30 percent more efficient, quieter and more environmentally friendly commercial aircraft in sizes up to 250 passengers – measured against the A330 or B767. The Pentagon is initially providing around 215 million euros for the four-year implementation phase, with the remaining funding to be secured from the private sector. JetZero aims to have its Z5 design ready for commercial use by 2030. The aircraft is expected to require 50 percent less fuel than conventional aircraft, but still have 50 percent more range and be able to carry heavier loads and more fuel in its extra-wide lifting body with a larger cargo volume than traditional models such as the Boeing KC-46 Pegasus, which is years behind schedule. “All-wing aircraft have the potential to significantly reduce fuel consumption and increase global range,” said JetZero CEO Tom O’Leary in an initial statement. Air Force Secretary Kendall added that “moving troops and cargo quickly over long distances is critical to ensuring national security. In this way, XBW-1 could help meet the requirements for the Next-Generation Airlift (NGAL) and Next-Generation Air Refueling System (NGAS) programs.” The USAF press release issued at the same time states: “Several military transport and tanker configurations are possible with the BWB. Together, these aircraft types account for approximately 60 percent of our annual jet fuel consumption.”
Plans since the 1980s
Despite all the innovation, the idea of moving away from the clear separation of fuselage and wings is not radically new. JetZero may be a start-up (founded in 2018), but thanks to employees such as co-founder Mark Page, who has years of experience in such concepts from his previous work at McDonnell-Douglas, the company has a great deal of basic knowledge of BWB designs. McDonnell-Douglas, acquired in 1997 by Boeing in 1997, is generally regarded as the originator of the BWB idea. It is attributed to engineer Robert Liebeck, who is now also on board at JetZero. Also involved in the project is Northrop Grumman (B-2 and B-21 bombers) and its subsidiary subsidiary Scaled Compositeswhich has been known for years for its highly innovative aerospace design and rapid prototyping capabilities.
Quieter and harder to find
The external shape of a flying object has a major influence not only on fuel consumption, range and speed, but also on the radar reflective surface and thus on the radar’s ability to detect it. In this area, the fuselage-only wing design without vertical stabilizers will certainly score points. For the time being, however, nobody wants to call the project a stealth aircraft. However, according to the company’s graphics, the arrangement of the two commercial engines (with a high bypass/bypass ratio) at the top and far apart at the rear of the aircraft seems to be a welcome advantage from a military point of view, both in terms of low heat radiation and acoustic propagation downwards. And all this against the background of USAF general planning, which is currently focusing heavily on ranges, radii and logistics in the Western Pacific with a view to a possible conflict with the People’s Republic of China. What’s more, quiet and highly survivable military transport aircraft (known as force multipliers) would also be a considerable advantage for covert or secret missions. https://militaeraktuell. at/sicherheitspolitik-experte-kilian-hitzl-im-gespraech/ “Race against a formidable opponent”
It is precisely this general orientation – Europe and Russia appear to be on the same wavelength, despite the war in Ukraine – that is the reason for the USAF ‘s decision. Ukraine war still do not seem to be the focus of Pentagon planners – Kendall provided fundamental insights in his opening speech: “It is no exaggeration to say today that operational energy will play the decisive role in a conflict that is at eye level. And we are in a race for technological superiority with a formidable adversary, what we call the pacing challenge. This challenge requires us to find new ways, new methods and new processes to maintain our competitive advantage. This competitive advantage lies in the ability to develop and deploy superior technologies to meet the needs of our warfighters – and to do so faster than our opponents.”
Kendall continues: “Today, this spirit of innovation continues with the Blended Wing Body program. This project also has implications for the industrial base. There is great commercial interest in this technology and we look forward to exploring this technology and future competition and providing the right capabilities to our soldiers as quickly and efficiently as possible. I want to emphasize that this project is a win-win for both commercial industry and the Department of Defense. We hope that the commercial interests will lead to additional investment that will ultimately benefit us all.”
