USAF tests new fuel

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EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla., July 5 (UPI) -- The U.S. Air Force reports it has for the first time flown an aircraft using a new, alcohol-derived fuel.

The fuel, called Alcohol-to-Jet, is being evaluated as a possible replacement for JP-8 aviation fuel, which is derived from petroleum. It is also the third alternative fuel tested by the Air Force for fleet-wide use.

The aircraft used in the test by the 40th Flight Test Squadron at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida was an A-10 fighter.

"It flew like a usual A-10 would without any issues," said Maj. Olivia Elliott, an A-10 pilot and an evaluator for the mission.

ATJ is ellulousic-based and can be derived using wood, paper, grass or anything that is a cell-based material.

The Air Force said the sugars extracted from these materials are fermented into alcohols, which are then hydro-processed into the aviation-grade kerosenes.

Other alternative fuels tested so far are a synthetic paraffinic kerosene from coal and natural gas and Hydro-processed Renewable Jet fuel, derived from plant oils and animal fats.

The synthetic paraffinic kerosene by Fischer-Tropsch has already been fully certified by the Air Force for operational use.