On the Naval Aviation News website, the Navy lauded its use of a 100% bio-fuel JP-5 jet fuel replacement on a recent EA-18G “Green Growler” flight. After the flight, the test pilot proclaimed he could not tell any difference in how the aircraft performed compared to traditional JP-5 jet fuel.
Bio-fuel Engine tests conducted Aug. 30 at Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division’s Aircraft Test and Evaluation Facility. (U.S. Navy photo by Adam Skoczylas)
From takeoff to landing, you couldn’t tell any difference,” said Lt. Cmdr. Bradley Fairfax, project officer and test pilot with Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 23, after the first test flight Sept. 1. “The information presented to us in the airplane is pretty simplified, but as far as I could tell, the aircraft flew completely the same as [petroleum-based] JP-5 for the whole flight.”
“Today is a further example of how the Navy and Marine Corps continue to lead in energy innovation, and in doing so, remain the greatest expeditionary fighting force the world has ever known,” said Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus. “Having our platforms certified to operate on 100-percent alternative fuels gives us flexibility and, in the end, gives us both a strategic and combat advantage,” Mabus said. “It gives us options; options which are important now and will remain important in the future.” – Naval Aviation News
Making the US Navy ‘green’ has been one of the current SECNAV’s stated goals. A recent GAO report stated, “alternative jet fuels produced on a commercial scale using the HEFA process would require a subsidy of $0.35 to $2.86 per gallon to be price-competitive with conventional jet fuels in 2020.”
What is your opinion on this initiative to make the Navy ‘green’? Do you think the new Trump administration will continue funding this effort?
Featured Image by US Navy