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JetZero is advancing its efforts to develop a flying prototype for the United States Air Force's Next Generation Air Refueling System (NGAS). The company, which did not respond to inquiries from Simple Flying by press time, is working on a Blended Wing Body design similar to NASA's X-48. This initiative aims to address concerns about the survivability of current aerial refuelers, which are modified jet airliners with significant radar and infrared returns.
The NGAS project focuses on creating a low-observable refueling platform capable of operating near battle areas to support stealth aircraft like the B-21 bomber and F-35 fighter jet. NASA has previously tested blended wing body designs with its X-48 model, intended to evaluate handling qualities and noise reduction. Fay Collier from NASA’s Environmentally Responsible Aviation project stated that they have "accomplished our goals of establishing a ground-to-flight database."
Heather Maliska, X-48C project manager at NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center in California, remarked on the successful collaboration between Boeing and NASA: "Our team has done what we do best: flight-test a unique aircraft." Boeing is also involved in supporting the USAF as they define future aerial refueling capabilities.
