GadgetWings
JetZero brings Siemens
on board
JetZero’s blended wing aircraft promises to improve fuel efficiency by 50%, significantly reduce noise, and achieve zero carbon emissions by 2035.
Aviation startup JetZero has partnered with Siemens to further develop the blended wing aircraft – a passenger jet that promises to improve fuel efficiency by 50%, significantly reduce noise, and achieve zero carbon emissions by 2035.
According to JetZero, the aircraft dramatically improves aerodynamic efficiency over traditional tube-and-wing designs which are fundamentally unstable and require large tail surfaces, creating adding weight and drag. The blended wing is a naturally stable design requiring no tail surfaces, which eliminates unnecessary complexity. A shorter, wider fuselage is blended together mimicking the wing to provide lift. This reduces the surface needed, creating a lighter aircraft with less drag.
The efficiency compounds – with less drag and weight, 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. The design fills the mid-market gap with an aircraft that achieves half the fuel burn and emissions of the aging fleet it will replace.
Siemens Xcelerator platform
At the recent CES 2025, the world’s biggest technology expo, Siemens showcased its collaboration with JetZero, and how their technologies are empowering customers to take bold leaps in industrial innovation, including industrial AI.
“Industrial AI is a game-changer that will create significant positive impact in the real world across all industries,” said Peter Koerte, member of the managing board, CTO and chief strategy officer, Siemens AG.
“Industrial AI allows us to harness the vast amounts of data generated in industrial environments and turn it into insights that drive real business impact. We are adding new industrial AI capabilities across the Siemens Xcelerator portfolio to enable our customers to stay competitive, resilient and sustainable in an increasingly complex world.”
JetZero will use the Siemens Xcelerator open digital business platform to streamline the design, production, and operation of the aircraft. The platform houses a curated portfolio of IoT-enabled hardware, software, and digital services from Siemens and third parties.
Factory of the future
JetZero is planning to build “Factory of the Future”, a new greenfield factory in the United States where they intend to tightly integrate Siemens’ automation hardware, software and services to help it achieve its ambitious vision encompassing electrification, automation and digitalisation of both the aircraft and its production.
The JetZero aircraft and its associated manufacturing operations will be simulated virtually using comprehensive digital twins – enabling the company to de-risk the manufacturing process, validate the approach and scale processes long before any ground is broken, or jets take to the skies.
Tom O’Leary, CEO of JetZero, said: “Siemens is giving us the confidence to take a leap, not just a step, in revolutionising air travel. Their digital twin and industrial metaverse technologies will be instrumental in helping us design, build and operate the world’s first fully digital aircraft, delivering a better experience for passengers and airlines while also reducing fuel consumption by 50%.”
