The US Air Force reckons acquiring 50 percent of the domestic aviation fuel from an alternative blend by 2016 as quite achievable. As is evident from the maiden test flight of the biofuel-powered A-10 Thunderbolt II that took to the skies from the Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, the Air Force looks very determined to pull it off eventually.
The jet, nicknamed the Warthog, flew on a mixture (hydrotreated renewable jet, or HRJ) of camelina oil and a conventional JP-8 jet fuel and it caused no problems to the pilot, crew or the bystanders. Feeling elated by the success, the Air Force further wishes to test the biofuel on an F-15, the four-engined C-17 Globemaster and the F-22 Raptor, the Air Force’s high-end stealth fighter, as well.
Via: Wired