JetZero, an innovative developer in the aviation industry, has made a significant leap forward with the FAA granting an airworthiness certificate for its 12.5% scaled blended wing body (BWB) demonstrator. This milestone allows the unmanned, twin-engine aircraft, known as the “Pathfinder,” to commence flight tests at Edwards Air Force Base in California, marking a pivotal step in the evolution of BWB technology.
With a wingspan of 23 feet, the Pathfinder is designed to assess the efficacy of flight controls and the unique articulating nose leg that sets JetZero’s design apart from other BWB concepts. The demonstrator is currently housed at JetZero’s facility in Long Beach, poised to transition to Edwards AFB for testing. CEO Tom O’Leary noted the initial delays caused by standing water on the lake bed at the base, but with conditions improving, the team anticipates beginning tests on the lake bed or moving to a paved runway if necessary.
This development comes under the auspices of a $235 million contract from the U.S. Defense Innovation Unit awarded in 2023, aiming to pave the way for a full-scale aircraft. The design includes innovative features like a pivoting nose landing gear and the aft positioning of the main gear, enabling additional body lift through nose gear actuation during takeoff to increase the angle of attack by about 6 degrees.
Funded partly by a NASA Sustainable Flight Demonstrator program contract since 2021, JetZero’s BWB configuration introduces a departure from traditional designs, focusing on efficiency and sustainability in future aviation.
The initial flight test phase is slated to last approximately three months, with the subscale vehicle continuing to serve in further tests as the project progresses. Despite some delays in the project timeline due to late delivery of flight control system components, JetZero and its partners, including Northrop Grumman and Scaled Composites, remain on track to begin testing the full-scale demonstrator by the first quarter of 2027. This aircraft, comparable in size to a Boeing 767 and with a wingspan akin to an Airbus A330, represents a bold step towards redefining aircraft design for the next generation of aviation.
