The US Air Force is to finance a project for an integrated fuselage aircraft developed by the Californian start-up JetZero, with the support of Northrop Grumman ©JetZero
By choosing a project inspired by flying wings for its future tankers, the US Air Force is preparing for the arrival of a new generation of transport aircraft. Airbus is also working on the concept.
Are we going to see a fundamental change in the shape of airliners and transport aircraft in the next few years, a shape that has changed little since the beginning of the jet age? This is becoming increasingly likely, with the ongoing development of a new generation of aircraft that are less polluting and much more fuel-efficient.
While engine manufacturers have been working for years on revolutionary engines (non-shell fans, new fuels, etc.), aircraft manufacturers are not to be outdone. One of the avenues that seems to be emerging is that of "Blended Wing Body" aircraft, a formula derived from flying wings. While the concept of aircraft with neither fuselage nor empennage has already established itself in military aeronautics thanks to its stealth qualities, it could soon form the basis of cleaner transport aircraft. With less weight and drag, integrated fuselage aircraft, in which the entire structure contributes to lift, seem to offer the prospect of significant fuel savings, of the order of 30 to 50%.
Trials in 2027
In the United States, the US Air Force this week selected an integrated fuselage aircraft project developed by Californian start-up JetZero, in partnership with Northrop Grumman, to serve as the basis for a future multi-role and air-to-air refuelling aircraft. Without tailplanes, the JetZero model will feature a shorter, wider fuselage that blends into the wings, with the engines on top of the structure. It's halfway between current aircraft and pure flying wings, like the B-2 and B-21 strategic bombers or Lockheed Martin's RQ-170 Sentinel and Dassault's Neuron UAVs.
The first demonstrator, a twin-engine jet with the dimensions of a real transport aircraft, should leave the factory in 2026 and begin flight tests in 2027. The US Air Force has allocated some 235 million dollars for this programme, which may not seem much when compared with the sums involved in other projects. But the contract, awarded by a branch of the Pentagon dedicated to futuristic projects - the Defense Innovation Unit - will probably lead to the procurement by the US Air Force of a new family of tanker aircraft that will be much more fuel-efficient and should have additional functionalities in the field of electronic warfare, in-flight refuelling of drones and transport.
JetZero will also benefit from the experience and support of Northrop Grumman, the designer of the B-2 and B-21.A subsidiary of the American aerospace and defence giant will build the future aircraft.
The project is also designed by JetZero and the Pentagon to give rise to new long-haul wide-body civilian aircraft. The project also aims to "strengthen the US defence industrial base and maintain our lead over China", explained Frank Kendall, Secretary of the US Air Force, when the programme was launched, adding that there would certainly be spin-offs in the civilian sector.On its website, Los Angeles-based JetZero presents three very similar versions of its aircraft - refuelling, cargo and passenger transport.The start-up, which exploits a technology that the company's managers have been perfecting with NASA for 30 years, is talking about introducing a commercial version of its aircraft at the start of the next decade.
Competition set to accelerate
This announcement by the US Air Force could speed up the competition to replace the world's current aircraft.European aircraft manufacturer Airbus also has an integrated fuselage aircraft project in the pipeline. In 2020, it unveiled various concepts for carbon-free aircraft under study, including a kind of flying wing with around 200 seats, based on the Maveric scale model, a 3.2-metre wingspan that has already been flight-tested.This model is scheduled for 2035 at the earliest, and is very similar to the one proposed by JetZero.
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