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LONG BEACH, Calif. — Although its enormous 185-foot blended wing demonstrator isn’t expected to take flight until 2027, JetZero is advancing toward finalizing the propulsion provider for its follow-on commercial product, the Z4, sometime early next year.
While it is evaluating proposals from GE Aerospace, Rolls-Royce and Florida Turbine Technologies, an updated offering from Pratt & Whitney appears to be the leading choice for JetZero’s production product, according to those familiar with the company’s thinking.
Related: JetZero eyes U.S. government loans as it seeks billions in funding
The propulsion decision is expected to be one of the startup’s earliest Z4 supplier selections and a major milestone as it looks ahead to the daunting task of validating the aerodynamic benefit of a passenger-carrying blended-wing design. JetZero also faces technical and manufacturing hurdles as well as the need to raise $7 to $10 billion just to get the aircraft to market — with most of it likely to come from government sources.
The engine decision, which must be made well ahead of the company’s ambitious target of a 2031 market debut, comes as part of a larger strategy to use as much existing technology as possible in both its demonstrator and production passenger-carrying aircraft. This mindset shift, its executives told The Air Current, has been surprising for some suppliers accustomed to the expensive bespoke tailoring of systems and components inside a complex integrated system.
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