It Resembles a Manta Ray: An American Startup Has Created a Plane Without Traditional Wings and Windows, Which Could Mark a New Chapter in Aviation

For the past decades, the market for large passenger aircraft has been shared between American Boeing and European Airbus. Despite continuous improvements, their airliners are still built according to a scheme that has remained the standard in civil aviation for over 70 years: a cylindrical fuselage and wings attached to it.

The American startup JetZero proposes to abandon this design. Instead, the company has developed an aircraft in which the body and wings form a single whole. Because of this, it resembles a manta ray more than a conventional airliner. If the project succeeds, it could become the biggest change in passenger airliner design since the supersonic Concorde.

The new airliner has been named Z4. It is designed for approximately 250 passengers and will be able to travel about 9,300 kilometers without landing.

According to the developers' concept, the new aircraft should occupy an intermediate position between the largest narrow-body and the smallest wide-body airliners.

As JetZero CEO Tom O'Leary explains, modern manufacturers are essentially forced to choose between narrow and wide fuselages. He compares this to a store where only small and large shirts are sold, but no medium size.

According to him, this niche remained almost empty after Boeing, at the peak of the crisis caused by two 737 MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019, abandoned the development of successors to its popular 757 and 767 models.

According to the developers, the Z4 cabin will differ significantly from the usual. It will feature four aisles instead of one or two. Additionally, the aircraft is expected to fly approximately three kilometers higher than modern passenger airliners.

Another distinctive feature is the absence of traditional windows. Instead, the initial concept proposes using digital screens that will display images from external cameras. To compensate for the lack of windows, a large glass skylight is planned in the ceiling, through which natural light will enter the cabin.

The developers also promise that each passenger will have their own overhead compartment for carry-on luggage. Even a separate waiting area is planned near each lavatory.

However, the main advantage of the new design, according to JetZero, is not comfort but fuel efficiency. Thanks to better aerodynamics, lighter weight, and less air resistance, fuel consumption could be approximately 30% lower than that of modern airliners like the Boeing 787.

The company also emphasizes that the Z4 is not being built "from scratch." Most of the core systems – from control systems to the engines that will be used on the first prototype – are already in operation on other aircraft and are certified by the US Federal Aviation Administration. Essentially, the new element is not the equipment, but the shape of the aircraft itself.

However, this idea is not new either. The concept of an aircraft where the fuselage and wings form a single integrated unit was studied early in the development of aviation. About thirty years ago, NASA returned to these studies, investing over a billion dollars in them. Together with Boeing, the agency conducted prototype tests to determine how much such a design could truly make flights more economical.

Despite this, the project has plenty of skeptics. Critics note that passengers closer to the edges of the cabin may experience stronger g-forces during turns. The absence of real windows, in their opinion, could also increase feelings of motion sickness. Furthermore, four aisles require a new approach to passenger evacuation, and current airport jet bridges were not designed to service aircraft of this shape.

JetZero assures that these issues have already been considered. And, it seems, they have managed to convince not only engineers but also major partners of the project's viability.

Last week, the company signed a preliminary agreement with the Export-Import Bank of the United States as part of the "Make More in America" program. It provides for the possibility of obtaining loans and government guarantees totaling up to $3 billion, needed for the construction of JetZero's first factory. Additionally, the company has already received $235 million from the US Air Force for prototype development.

Airlines have also put their faith in the Z4. Among JetZero's prospective partners are about twenty carriers, including Delta Air Lines, Alaska Airlines, and United Airlines. The latter has already placed a conditional order for 200 aircraft.

In June, JetZero began construction of its first factory in North Carolina. The company expects to fly a full-scale prototype by the end of 2027, and the first aircraft for testing and certification are to be built by 2030. If the certification process proceeds without significant delays, commercial Z4 flights could begin as early as the first half of the 2030s.

• 32
• 0
• 0
• 3
• 0
• 0
• 0
• 0