America’s 5 Year Old Startup Is Outclassing Boeing and Airbus

In a hangar in the Mojave Desert, a company about five years old is building the first full-size blended wing aircraft, a shape Boeing studied for twenty years and never built. It is called JetZero. United, Delta and Alaska are backing it, the U.S. Air Force is paying for much of the prototype, and it has broken ground on a factory twice the size of Boeing's Everett plant. This video explains where the idea came from, why Boeing shelved it, how JetZero is using old 757 engines and Air Force money to get it flying, and what Boeing and Airbus are doing instead. It also covers what has not been proven yet: the airplane has not flown, the orders are conditional, and the 50 percent fuel saving is still a claim. In this video: • The Mojave hangar where reporters had to cover their phone cameras • Why every airliner since 1958 has been a tube with wings • Bob Liebeck, Mark Page and the 800-seat design from Long Beach • Why Boeing put the blended wing on a shelf • The decisions that got JetZero this far: smaller size, old engines, Air Force funding, airlines in the room • Jet1, the 185-foot demonstrator due to fly in late 2027 • The 8 million square foot factory in Greensboro, North Carolina • What Boeing's and Airbus's CEOs said this summer • The open problems: windows, evacuation, airport gates, engines and money Please note: as of October 2026 the Jet1 demonstrator had not flown, the Z4 airliner had not been certified, and airline agreements were conditional or nonbinding. Fuel savings, schedules, jobs and investment figures are company claims or targets. Sources: Reuters, Leeham News, Aviation Week via CompositesWorld, AirInsight, Cranky Flier, University of Illinois Grainger College of Engineering, Orange County Business Journal, CNN. Subscribe for more stories on American engineering, told with the facts checked. Disclaimer This video is for educational and informational purposes only. It is based on publicly available reporting and company statements as of October 2026. The JetZero Jet1 demonstrator had not flown and the Z4 had not been certified at the time of writing. Figures for fuel savings, range, schedule, investment and jobs are company claims or targets and may change. Opinions in this video are the narrator's own. Nothing here is financial or investment advice. This channel is not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by JetZero, Boeing, Airbus, Northrop Grumman, the U.S. Air Force or any company mentioned. Some visuals are illustrative, may be computer-generated, and may not show the actual aircraft. #JetZero #BlendedWing #Boeing #Airbus #Aviation #FutureOfFlight #AmericanEngineering #AviationNews #Startup #Airplane Sources • Reuters via AJOT: In Mojave Desert, startup JetZero builds novel plane to take on Airbus and Boeing • Leeham News: JetZero breaks ground on factory 2X the size of Boeing Everett • CompositesWorld: JetZero advances composite BWB demonstrator build • CompositesWorld: Airbus presses forward on next-gen narrowbody as Boeing timeline slips • AirInsight: JetZero briefing, it's no longer a concept • Cranky Flier: JetZero media day was delightfully boring • Air Data News: JetZero secures US$100 million financing • Travelers Today: Gulf Air backs JetZero Z4 • Live and Let's Fly: JetZero's four-aisle 757 and 767 replacement • PaxEx.Aero: JetZero cabin layout options • FlightGlobal: Airbus CEO Faury on blended-wing designs • University of Illinois: In memoriam, Robert H. Liebeck • University of Illinois: Blended wing brings air travel greater range, fuel efficiency and comfort • Orange County Business Journal: JetZero aims to revolutionize airliner design • CNN: JetZero Pathfinder cleared to fly • JetZero: team and partners • Wikipedia: JetZero and Mark Page