JetZero will make the Z4 in Greensboro. Designed for the unserved commercial middle market, with 250 passenger capacity on a range of up to 5,000 nautical miles, the Z4 will be up to 50 percent more fuel efficient with an elevated passenger experience and will readily fit into today’s airport infrastructure.

“Today, a great new chapter in North Carolina’s storied history of flight is taking off,” said Governor Josh Stein. “JetZero’s decision to build here is a vote of confidence in North Carolina’s workforce, our universities and community colleges, and our long aerospace tradition. These 14,500 jobs and $4.7 billion in investment will transform the triad region for generations. North Carolina is not only First in Flight, we are the future of flight, too.”

“It should come as no surprise that JetZero is breaking ground here in North Carolina – the first in flight state,” said Tom O’Leary, CEO and co-founder of JetZero. “North Carolina has a vision for its future as a global aerospace hub, and JetZero shares that vision. We believe the time has come for an all-wing airplane, to support the industry’s need for more efficient airplanes that also deliver an incredible experience. We intend to reshape aviation, from right here in North Carolina.”

JetZero is also designing military variants of the Z4, including an aerial refueler and transport aircraft. As a refueler, the all-wing design allows for twice the range or twice the payload to support U.S. air power.

With America’s 250th birthday just three weeks away, the timing of today’s groundbreaking carries special meaning. As the nation celebrates a quarter millennium of innovation and independence, JetZero’s commitment to reinventing how aircraft are designed and built stands as a testament to that same pioneering spirit, carrying American aviation boldly into the next century.

Digital-First, AI-Native Smart Factory 
JetZero’s Greensboro plant will be designed using advanced digital and AI native platforms developed in collaboration with Siemens and Deloitte. These platforms and tools allow engineers to build a complete digital twin of the factory before any concrete is poured — testing how machines, people, and materials will move through the building, and making changes on a screen rather than on a job site. That flexibility is rare in aerospace manufacturing and will make the Greensboro facility the most efficient and adaptable plant of its kind anywhere in the world.

“Our partnership with JetZero demonstrates how cutting-edge industrial technology can help reindustrialize America,” said Ann Fairchild, President and CEO, Siemens USA. “Our digital twins help bring the next generation of manufacturing facilities to life faster and with greater confidence. We’re proud to help JetZero build a world-class aerospace facility that will create thousands of jobs and strengthen North Carolina’s position as the next great U.S. aerospace hub.” 

“By pairing advanced AI and digital tools with our deep operational and industry experience, we’re helping JetZero set a new standard for manufacturing speed, quality, and scale,” Kelly Herod, chief client officer, Deloitte. “Our work with JetZero brings automation and AI together with data strategies informed by our experience at The Smart Factory by Deloitte @ Wichita—connecting design, the shop floor, and the workforce.”

Construction in Greensboro begins immediately, with hiring expected to ramp in phases over the next decade as the facility comes online.

About JetZero
JetZero is an American aerospace company developing a new generation of more efficient commercial and defense aircraft. The company partners with leading manufacturers and technology providers to advance the future of flight through innovation and American manufacturing excellence.

Media Contact
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SOURCE JetZero

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Gavin Gallaher’s two-run triple gave North Carolina the lead in the seventh inning to help send the Tar Heels to a 5-2 win over West Virginia in the College World Series on Sunday night.

The Tar Heels (52-12-1) opened a CWS with two straight wins for the first time in eight appearances since 2006 and need one more victory to reach the best-of-three finals next weekend. They’re off until Wednesday, when they’ll meet the winner of a Tuesday elimination game between the Mountaineers (46-16) and Troy.

“Our goal is to play really well on Wednesday,” Carolina coach Scott Forbes said, “but I think I’ll sleep pretty good tonight going 2-0.”

The Tar Heels scored three unearned runs against Big 12 pitcher of the year Maxx Yehl (9-3) to break a 2-all tie in the seventh with country music star and North Carolina booster Eric Church cheering them on in a suite.

They had runners on first and second after West Virginia third baseman Tyrus Hall and second baseman Brodie Kresser couldn’t come up with grounders. Gallaher lined a ball deep into the gap in right center for a 4-2 lead and he came home when Owen Hull grounded a ball up the middle for a single.

“When you give a great team five outs, it’s hard to get through it,” Mountaineers coach Steve Sabins said, “and the groundball broke our back.”

An inning earlier, Forbes called a team meeting in the dugout and, according to ESPN, told his players they needed to play looser and have more fun. The Tar Heels went three-up, three-down in the sixth, but the next inning Gallaher and his teammates were having a jolly time on a clear and cool evening at Charles Schwab Field.

Forbes called Gallaher “Mr. Clutch” for his history of coming up with big hits in critical situations over his three years in the program.

“I just try to keep everything the same, stick to my routine and trust my preparation,” Gallaher said. “I keep grinding.”

Gallaher said he also finds comfort having Forbes coaching third base.

“Always has a smile on his face, and that takes weight off your shoulders,” he said.

The mood in the Tar Heels’ dugout changed in the ninth. Walker McDuffie (9-3), who relieved starter Ryan Lynch in the fifth, gave up a walk and single to bring Ben Lumsden to the plate as the potential tying run with one out.

Caden Glauber, who pitched 2 1/3 innings of shutout relief in a 6-2 win over Mississippi on Friday, came on and struck out Lumsden and Hall to earn his fifth save.

Sabins said the task they face to reach the finals is difficult but not insurmountable. The Mountaineers won three elimination games in regionals.

“We were able to scratch back and claw back,” he said. “You get a little bit more rest in this event. So guys get rested, recover, come back and try to eliminate a team in a day.”

Dunnellon (Fla.) four-star defensive lineman Kaiden Robinson-Vickers has committed to North Carolina, he told Rivals’ Hayes Fawcett.

He chose the Tar Heels over offers from UCF, NC State, Florida and a number of other Power 4 schools. Dunnellon told Rivals’ Inside Carolina that he made his commitment on Saturday night to the Tar Heels’ staff before going public on Sunday.

The 6-foot-1, 255-pounder is the 12th commitment this cycle for Bill Belichick and Co, whose class now sits just inside the top-50 nationally on the Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Rankings.

As a junior, Robinson-Vickers finished with 55 tackles, 7.5 sacks and 19.5 tackles for loss. He also totaled five forced fumbles.

The Rivals Industry Ranking, an equally weighted average that utilizes all three major recruiting services, tabs him as the No. 401 overall prospect and No. 43 defensive lineman in the class.