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By Bjorn Fehrm
July 9, 2026, © Leeham News: Monday this week, we started an analysis of JetZero’s updated Z4 Blended Wing Body (BWB). The revised Z4 BWB has a V-tail on a longer central fuselage, a wider wing with winglets, and larger, heavier engines attached via a clamshell engine pylon structure (Figure 1). We call the updated Z4 the Z4U from now on.
We analyze the changes and what they would mean for performance data on Monday this week. Now we use our Aircraft Performance and Cost Model (APCM) to analyze the efficiency and projected operational costs of the Z4U relative to its competitors.
Figure 1. The updated Z4 in a tanker configuration. Source: JetZero.
We compare it to a future classical Tube-And-Wing (TAW) aircraft of the size and capacity of the Z4, a 250-seat NMA (New Midmarket Airplane) that we have projected and analyzed several times over the last 10 years. We also add the 40-year-old Boeing 767 that JetZero uses for its comparisons.
And finally, we add the current Airbus A321XLR, which is smaller but is flying similar sectors to the Z4, such as the trans-Atlantic route we use for our comparison.
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