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Globemaster goes green on synthetic fuel

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – For the first time, the Air Force has flown a C-17 Globemaster jet powered entirely by a mix of synthetic and traditional fuels.

The service, which aims to certify synthetic petroleum use in all aircraft by 2011, has fully certified B-52 bombers on the fuel mix and has started easing the C-17 cargo jet into using the fuel.

After an Oct. 19 test flight with only one C-17 tank containing the new-wave fuel, pilots flew the C-17 on Oct. 22 with nothing but synthetic fuel mix on board.

There was “no discernable difference” between using the traditional JP-8 fuel and the synthetic fuel mix, said mission pilot Maj. Scott Sullivan in a statement.

The synthetic fuel, called Fischer-Tropsch, is blended with JP-8, a kerosene-based fuel that uses more natural resources. The synthetic fuel is touted by the Air Force, the Defense Department’s largest fuel consumer, as an alternative to relying on foreign-produced fuels.

This four-hour C-17 flight clears the way for more evaluations at McChord Air Force Base in Washington and other tests. Air Force leaders expect the C-17 to be fully certified to use the synthetic fuel blend by early 2008.