RTX to supply key systems for JetZero’s full-scale BWB demonstrator
March 6, 2025
In today’s second supplier announcement for JetZero’s upcoming blended wing body (BWB) prototype aircraft, two RTX companies – Pratt & Whitney and Collins Aerospace – are also to offer their expertise to the project, set to make its first flight in 2027.
Pratt & Whitney will integrate its PW2040 engine into the full-scale demonstrator, a powerplant currently powering all models of the twin-engine Boeing 757, and forming the basis of the F117-PW-100 (powering the four-engine C-17 Globemaster III military transport). JetZero design concepts indicate the aircraft will have two engines, with the company adding: “with less drag and weight [of the airframe], the size of the engines is reduced, which further reduces drag and weight. The result is an aircraft with the passenger capacity and range of a small wide body that uses the engines of existing narrow-body planes”.
Pratt & Whitney Canada will provide the auxiliary power unit (APU), with RTX explaining that the selected model (the APS3200) “employs the latest in advanced manufacturing techniques, including the use of composites”. Nearly 3,800 APS3200 units have been manufactured and certified for aircraft, with the product forming the Airbus baseline APU of choice for its A320 family. As with the chosen engine, the APU model is also certified for a 180-minute Extended range Twin Operations (ETOPs) operation.
Finally, Collins Aerospace will design and build nacelle structures including the inlet, fan cowl and fan duct, in addition to fairings and the engine support structure. “We welcome these industry-leading suppliers to the program and are inspired to see the industry’s investment and belief in the blended wing airplane,” commented Dan da Silva, JetZero chief operating officer. “We continue to make steady progress on both the demonstrator program and the design and production capabilities of the airplane that will eventually be delivered to customers”.
Targeting a 50% reduction in fuel burn through the aerodynamic efficiency of its blended wing design, JetZero aims to make the first test flights of its full-scale demonstrator in 2027. This, concluded the company, “will validate key technologies that could benefit multiple customers, including commercial passenger planes, cargo transports and military aircraft – including a potential future aerial refuelling tanker”.
In November 2024, JetZero also finalised partnerships with suppliers for key components of the demonstrator’s flight control systems, including BAE Systems, Moog, Safran, Thales and Woodward.
