The concept of blended-wing aircraft, where the fuselage and wings form a single structure, is not new. But this radical design could soon become a viable idea for commercial airlines.
In March 2025, a small, remotely piloted V-shaped aircraft took off for the first time at the Pendleton UAS Range in eastern Oregon. The unmanned vehicle, codenamed Steve (for Scaled Test Vehicle), flew for only 16 seconds on its maiden flight, but that didn’t diminish its significance. Steve’s first and subsequent flights are the first steps on a path that its creator, Outbound Aerospace, hopes will lead to the development of a radical 200- to 250-seat mixed-wing aircraft by the 2030s. The aircraft, already named Olympic, will have a span of 52 m, about eight times the size of Steve.
The idea that an aircraft’s wings and fuselage could be smoothly blended, without a clear dividing line, to increase aerodynamic efficiency dates back more than 100 years. In 1924, the first registered blended-wing aircraft flew for the first time and crashed shortly after takeoff.
Since then, blended wing technology has been used primarily by the US military to develop bombers. Now, the aviation industry’s urgent need to reduce emissions could create an opportunity to produce the first commercial blended wing aircraft. But challenges remain, and the question is whether start-ups like Outbound Aerospace can overcome them. Steve’s flights aim to prove two things: first, that the innovative blended wing aircraft design works, and second, that the company’s new manufacturing technology can produce such an aircraft faster and cheaper than major manufacturers like Boeing and Airbus.
“We went from a pure idea to a demonstrator in just 12 months,” says Jake Armenta, a former Boeing engineer and co-founder of Outbound Aerospace. He believes his team has managed to significantly shorten the time it typically takes to develop a commercial aircraft, which is typically 5–10 years or more. “The plane that first flew was exactly nine months from the day we first opened the factory.”
Now their technology demonstrator is finding a new use as a cargo drone. “Steve has now shown interest from the US Department of Defense and other civilian customers because it has a large payload capacity and can be cheaper than conventional designs. This is the first product we are bringing to market,” Boysen explains.
“We believe we can significantly reduce the time and cost of developing these aircraft, but it will still be very expensive,” adds Aaron Boysen, director of business development at Outbound. “We need to generate revenue sooner than 10 years.”
Although some investors are sceptical about the feasibility of the plan, Outbound has managed to raise around $1m (£765,000) in pre-seed funding so far. That will allow it to hire five full-time staff, with contractors and part-time employees on call as needed. Outbound is not alone in this pursuit. There are at least two other start-ups competing to build the first blended-wing aircraft, which analysts are calling the “holy grail of aviation.” Computer renderings of the Olympic in the 2030s look very different from the traditional tube-wing aircraft from Boeing and Airbus. These aircraft are often called “flying wings” and are more aerodynamically efficient than conventional aircraft.
If a company can successfully implement the design, NASA research suggests that this aircraft could consume up to 50% less fuel, reduce emissions and noise, offer 40% larger cabins, and open up new air routes.
However, there will be fewer window seats, but there could be extra-large doors to speed up boarding and create separate cabins for first, business and economy classes. Some supporters of the design see a bigger opportunity: they believe that start-ups like Outbound, JetZero and Nautilus could breathe new life into the airline industry, challenging the dominance of Boeing and Airbus. JetZero has the highest profile among start-ups developing the full-wing commercial jet. Based in Long Beach, California, the company received $235 million in funding from the U.S. Air Force and further investments from United Airlines and Alaska Airlines to develop the Z4. United Airlines also has the option to order up to 200 Z4 aircraft if the criteria are met.
“There is a fever among young capitalists and technologists to challenge any old industry they can find, aviation is the next target,” says Bill Sweetman.
JetZero has also partnered with BAE, Northrup Grumman, and engine manufacturers like Pratt & Whitney. They have already flown their small Pathfinder I demonstrator and completed a critical design review to ensure they are ready for production.
Just before the 2025 Paris Airshow, JetZero chose the location of its factory in Greensboro, North Carolina, near the factory where another startup, Boom, is building a supersonic jet. JetZero aims to fly a full-size demonstrator as early as 2027. Aaron Boysen is not worried about the progress of rivals. “JetZero’s publicity and their orders help us all because the mixed-wing field is becoming part of the airline and industry discussions. They will face the huge costs of certification and public acceptance before us, and we will not have the same costs.”
Blended wing design has been the ambition of many designers since the dawn of aviation. “There’s a lot of interest right now because there’s a fever among capitalists and technologists to challenge old industries,” says Sweetman.
Advanced materials, computer-aided design, and three-dimensional aerodynamics have fueled this new interest. However, the challenges remain: creating a new competitor to Airbus and Boeing is expensive, and starting a new commercial aircraft company is an enormous task. Investments from airlines so far are largely seen as marketing to show “new thinking” and do not guarantee that the project will come to fruition. However, starting with a small demonstrator and moving on to a full-size demonstrator can build confidence and help test the design before mass production. The first mixed-wing aircraft to fly was the Westland Dreadnought in 1924, based on the futuristic ideas of Russian inventor Nicolas Woyevodsky. It crashed on its first flight, seriously injuring the pilot, and the project was abandoned.
Since then, the complexity of the design has led to this aircraft type being used primarily by the military, with successful examples such as the Rockwell B1-B Lancer and the B-21 Raider.
The biggest problem with the commercial design is fitting a pressurized passenger cabin inside the composite body, as the flat surfaces under pressure cause structural complications. Many large projects such as the Boeing/NASA X-48 have proven that modern flight control can manage this design, but at high costs. Outbound Aerospace claims that by using 3D printing and advanced materials it can build flying demonstrators cheaper and faster than previous programs. Their plan includes: transforming Steve into a Gateway drone, an improved version with twice the wingspan, a long-range business jet, the Olympic, and an even larger aircraft for the 2040s.
“There’s a huge talent pool of engineers, managers and executives here in Seattle, hungry for something new,” says Boysen, “and that’s why we’re here.”