BOZEMAN, Mont., March 23 (UPI) -- A U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor has been flown using a 50/50 blend of conventional JP-8 jet fuel and biofuel from a Montana company.
"The F-22 flew on Friday … and performed flawlessly on the biofuel blend citing no noticeable differences from traditional JP-8," said Jeff Braun, director of the Alternative Fuels Certification Division, part of the Aeronautical Systems Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.
Sustainable Oils, a producer of renewable, low carbon and domestically made fuels, said the biofuel it supplied was derived from camelina.
The Air Force said the flight test consisted of air starts, operability and performance at different speeds and altitude throughout the flight envelope. The aircraft performed several maneuvers, including a supercruise at 40,000 feet, reaching speeds of Mach 1.5.
Sustainable Oils has been contracted for more than 500,000 gallons of camelina-based biofuel for the U.S. Air Force, Navy and Army.
A Michigan Tech University life-cycle analysis of camelina jet fuel indicated that it reduces carbon emissions by 75 percent compared to petroleum jet fuel.
