01-04-2010, 12:12 AM
Air Force Debuts Biofuel-Guzzling Warthog
For the first time ever, the U.S. Air Force has flown one of its jets powered entirely by a biofuel blend. The flight took place at Eglin Air Force Base in Flordia with an A-10 Thunderbolt II — an aircraft affectionately known as a Warthog — burning a combination of a fuel derived from camelina oil with conventional JP-8 jet fuel.
In a bid to reduce dependence on imported fossil fuels, the Pentagon has been looking to new energy alternatives. Under the Air Force’s current energy plan, the goal is to acquire 50 percent of the domestic aviation fuel from an alternative blend by 2016. Terry Yonkers, the assistant secretary of the Air Force for installations, environment and logistics, said in a statement the goal was to encourage a major shift in the way the service powers its aircraft. “Our goal is to reduce demand, increase supply and change the culture and mindset of our fuel consumption,” he said.
The Air Force is the largest user of jet fuel within the Department of Defense, and plans to have all of the aircraft in its inventory certified to fly using alternative fuels by the end of 2012. The current fleet of aircraft consumes 2.4 billion gallons of jet fuel per year. The A-10 test flight went well with “no problems whatsoever” according to the pilot.
Biofuel used in the A-10 flight is referred to as hydrotreated renewable jet, or HRJ. The biomass-derived fuel is created from animal fats and plant oils. The camelina plant, the feedstock for the demonstration flight, is just one of the biofuels being looked at by the military.
The Air Force has experimented with other alternative fuels in the past, including a synthetic fuel blend using the Fischer-Tropsch process that can be used to convert coal or natural gas into jet fuel. Several Air Force aircraft have been flown with the synthetic fuel, including a supersonic F-15 Eagle flight.
This summer, the Air Force plans to expand the biofuel testing to the F-15 as well. Later in the year the biofuel blend will be used in both the four-engined C-17 Globemaster as well as in the F-22 Raptor, the Air Force’s high-end stealth fighter.
No word if the biofuel-burning Warthog smelled like freedom fries as it flew by.
Read More http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2010/03/...z0jnZXknAg
[Maybe we can use all those genetically-modified seeds from Monsanto to grow the stuff... ]
[Magda: Is this button installed yet?]
- By Jason Paur
![[Image: envelope.gif]](http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/wp-content/themes/wired/images/envelope.gif)
- March 30, 2010 |
- 9:09 am |
- Categories: Air Force
For the first time ever, the U.S. Air Force has flown one of its jets powered entirely by a biofuel blend. The flight took place at Eglin Air Force Base in Flordia with an A-10 Thunderbolt II — an aircraft affectionately known as a Warthog — burning a combination of a fuel derived from camelina oil with conventional JP-8 jet fuel.
In a bid to reduce dependence on imported fossil fuels, the Pentagon has been looking to new energy alternatives. Under the Air Force’s current energy plan, the goal is to acquire 50 percent of the domestic aviation fuel from an alternative blend by 2016. Terry Yonkers, the assistant secretary of the Air Force for installations, environment and logistics, said in a statement the goal was to encourage a major shift in the way the service powers its aircraft. “Our goal is to reduce demand, increase supply and change the culture and mindset of our fuel consumption,” he said.
The Air Force is the largest user of jet fuel within the Department of Defense, and plans to have all of the aircraft in its inventory certified to fly using alternative fuels by the end of 2012. The current fleet of aircraft consumes 2.4 billion gallons of jet fuel per year. The A-10 test flight went well with “no problems whatsoever” according to the pilot.
Biofuel used in the A-10 flight is referred to as hydrotreated renewable jet, or HRJ. The biomass-derived fuel is created from animal fats and plant oils. The camelina plant, the feedstock for the demonstration flight, is just one of the biofuels being looked at by the military.
The Air Force has experimented with other alternative fuels in the past, including a synthetic fuel blend using the Fischer-Tropsch process that can be used to convert coal or natural gas into jet fuel. Several Air Force aircraft have been flown with the synthetic fuel, including a supersonic F-15 Eagle flight.
This summer, the Air Force plans to expand the biofuel testing to the F-15 as well. Later in the year the biofuel blend will be used in both the four-engined C-17 Globemaster as well as in the F-22 Raptor, the Air Force’s high-end stealth fighter.
No word if the biofuel-burning Warthog smelled like freedom fries as it flew by.
Read More http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2010/03/...z0jnZXknAg
[Maybe we can use all those genetically-modified seeds from Monsanto to grow the stuff... ]
[Magda: Is this button installed yet?]
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