A French startup, SHZ Advanced Technologies, has announced plans to work with clean-aircraft venture JetZero on a possible hydrogen-powered version of its futuristic all-wing aircraft, Reuters reported.
California-based JetZero aims to disrupt the Airbus-Boeing duopoly by developing a blended wing-body aircraft. The company says its Z4 design could cut fuel use – and therefore carbon emissions – by half. The blended wing-body concept dates back to the 1940s, inspiring the U.S. B-2 bomber and later the Boeing–NASA X-48 project launched 18 years ago.
JetZero’s design uses a V-shaped fuselage that generates lift while reducing drag. Unlike traditional ‘tube-and-wing’ aircraft, the wider body can house hydrogen tanks without losing passenger space, according to SHZ. SHZ says it has created new hydrogen tanks that avoid the bulky cylindrical shape used in most pressurised vessels. The design fits more easily into the Z4’s flowing contours and saves valuable space.
Under a NASA research programme, JetZero and SHZ will collaborate on liquid hydrogen storage and distribution systems. Success could eventually lead to a hydrogen-powered variant of the Z4. Hydrogen offers carbon-free emissions and a high energy-to-mass ratio, making it lighter than conventional jet fuel. Yet it poses challenges, as it requires much more storage volume and must be cooled to –253°C, which complicates aircraft design.
Eric Schulz, SHZ’s co-founder and a former senior executive at Rolls-Royce and Airbus, told Reuters that JetZero would take a phased approach. The first step will be an all-wing aircraft with conventional engines, followed later by a hydrogen variant.
SHZ believes the partnership could reignite debate over zero-emission flight. The announcement comes six months after Airbus paused work on its own hydrogen airliner project. In February Airbus slowed its hydrogen plans, abandoning a 2035 target and citing a lack of infrastructure. Boeing has shown little interest in commercial hydrogen aircraft at all.
JetZero now hopes to revive the idea as aviation faces pressure to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. Airbus has argued that pairing a radical new airframe with hydrogen propulsion is too ambitious, focusing instead on hydrogen fuel cells for conventional aircraft.
