The United States has moved to cultivate a "second Boeing" to revive its domestic commercial aircraft manufacturing base. On the 29th (local time), the U.S. government said it would consider providing up to $3 billion (about 4.4 trillion won) in loans and guarantees to JetZero, a five-year-old aviation startup that has never sold a single passenger plane. After launching a project with Korea to Make American Shipbuilding Great Again and beginning to rebuild shipbuilding at sea, the United States is now reaching into the skies with "MAAGA (Make American Aviation Great Again)," some said.
On the 29th, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that the U.S. Export-Import Bank had reached a preliminary agreement to provide up to $3 billion in direct loans and loan guarantees for JetZero's first production plant. The U.S. Export-Import Bank will provide the funds through its Make More in America program, which extends policy finance for manufacturing investment in the United States. Although credit, environmental and legal reviews and board approval remain before final execution, the Ex-Im Bank chair said the matter would be fast-tracked. The WSJ said the U.S. government has begun backing a newcomer seeking to challenge Boeing's position as the "only commercial aircraft manufacturer."
JetZero's Z4 passenger plane looks completely different from existing airliners from the outside. For more than 70 years, passenger planes have been built by attaching wings to a cylindrical fuselage. In contrast, the Z4 uses a blended wing body structure that integrates the fuselage and wings. Experts said the flat, wide fuselage, which resembles a manta ray, generates its own lift, reducing drag and fuel burn. The WSJ said if this airframe is commercialized, it would mark the biggest change in airliner design since the supersonic Concorde.
The Z4's cabin stands out from existing airliners as much as its exterior. Unlike current airliners with one or two aisles, the Z4 has four aisles and flies about 10,000 feet (about 3 kilometers) higher than today's airliners. Early design drawings released by JetZero show digital screens in place of windows. Instead, skylights in the ceiling let in natural light. Seating is estimated at about 250. JetZero said the Z4's range is about 5,000 nautical miles (about 9,300 kilometers), targeting the midsize airliner market.
Despite its radical exterior, JetZero designed the new airframe's interior using technologies vetted by leading aviation-related corporations. Most components used in the Z4, from flight controls to engines, have Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval. Tom O'Leary, JetZero's chief executive officer (CEO), said, "What's new about the Z4 is not the parts, but only the way the parts are put together." The blended wing body structure itself is a legacy that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) developed with Boeing starting about 30 years ago, spending more than $1 billion (about 1.5 trillion won). O'Leary said, "Thanks to this structure, the Z4's fuel efficiency is about 30% higher than the latest models like the Boeing 787." JetZero plans to complete a full-scale prototype by the end of next year and conduct its first flight.
The U.S. Air Force has already invested $235 million (about 340 billion won) in JetZero's prototype development. U.S. defense companies Northrop Grumman and RTX joined as investors. Pratt & Whitney, an engine manufacturer under RTX, will supply engines for JetZero's first demonstrator. A demonstrator is an airframe that tests performance and effectiveness by applying new technologies or ideas.
North Carolina, where the Z4 manufacturing plant will be located, also moved to support JetZero. According to the AP and the North Carolina Department of Commerce, state and local governments approved more than $2.3 billion (about 3.3 trillion won) in subsidies and infrastructure incentives through the 2060s, contingent on meeting employment and investment goals. JetZero plans to invest $4.7 billion (about 6.8 trillion won) in its Greensboro, North Carolina, plant to create more than 14,500 jobs by 2036. It is expected to be recorded as the largest jobs pledge in North Carolina's history.
About 20 U.S. airlines, including Delta, Alaska and United, also sided with JetZero. United Airlines signed a conditional contract that could lead to the purchase of up to 200 aircraft if JetZero meets its development targets. JetZero plans to invite experts from these airlines for two days each quarter to hold closed-door briefings on detailed designs, such as cabin layout, flight controls and cargo doors. The WSJ reported the briefings will be run in a way that allows airline representatives to freely air the aircraft's shortcomings. The Air Force shares technical validation, State Governments share production infrastructure, the policy bank shares finance, and airlines share market risk.
The United States is the country that produced the Wright brothers, who achieved humanity's first controlled powered flight in 1903. At one time, Boeing, McDonnell Douglas and Lockheed built about 90% of the world's airliners. But over the decades, the U.S. commercial aviation industry has shrunk to the point that only Boeing remains. Lockheed withdrew from commercial aviation, and McDonnell Douglas was absorbed by Boeing in 1997. In the meantime, Europe's Airbus captured more than half the global market. Recently, China's state-owned COMAC has been pursuing its own blended wing body design and is in hot pursuit.
The midsize 250-seat market the Z4 targets is also a gap left when Boeing, amid the 737 Max crash crisis, shelved successors to the 757 and 767. CEO O'Leary said, "We will go after this niche," comparing it to "a store that used to sell only small and large now offering a medium shirt." If JetZero succeeds, the United States will have a second organization, factory and parts supply chain at home that can design, certify and produce airliners when Boeing wobbles.
Some, however, expressed concern that skepticism about the blended wing body has persisted for a long time. According to the Z4's design drawings, because of the wide, flat airframe structure, passengers seated near the wings would have to withstand greater g-forces when the aircraft turns. A cabin fitted with digital screens instead of windows could exacerbate motion sickness in such situations. And increasing the number of aisles to four would require rewriting emergency evacuation procedures from scratch. There were also concerns that existing jet bridges connecting airport gates to aircraft would not match the Z4 airframe. The WSJ reported that Airbus considered a similar concept but scrapped it, citing precedent that the airframe would have to become too large to achieve aerodynamic efficiency.
Whether it can actually enter service depends on whether the Federal Aviation Administration issues a safety certification after the demonstrator is unveiled. JetZero broke ground on the Greensboro plant in June and plans to produce the first Z4 for testing and certification in 2030. Actual commercial operations are expected to be possible only in the early 2030s. Alexei Matyushev, CEO of rival startup Natilus in California, which is developing a smaller blended wing body airframe, told the WSJ, "Looking at the aviation industry as a whole, everyone is ready for something new."