UK's Royal Air Force Launches Military Aircraft Fueled With 'Cooking Oil'

The Royal Air Force (RAF) of the United Kingdom has completed a flight test of a massive military transporter aircraft fueled by cooking oil!

100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel

An RAF Voyager, the military version of an Airbus A330, flew over Oxfordshire while being powered exclusively by 100% sustainable aviation fuel to spark a plethora of possibilities for military and civilian aircraft (SAF).

The mission was a collaborative effort between the RAF, DE&S, and business partners Airbus, AirTanker, and Rolls-Royce. Air bp provided the gasoline for the flight.

Sustainable aviation fuel, which is created from waste-based sustainable feedstocks such as used cooking oil, often reduces lifecycle carbon emissions by up to 80%, lessens the RAF's reliance on global supply networks, and improves operational resilience, as per a government press release.

"The Royal Air Force has flown the UK's first military air transport flight using 100% sustainable aviation fuel on one of their operational Voyager aircraft. They should be rightly proud of this achievement; it is a breakthrough moment for the RAF and an exciting development for the MOD," Defence Minister Baroness Goldie said in a news release.

To ensure the UK is at the forefront of this emerging technology, various alternative fuel options are now being examined, according to the ministry of defense.

This accomplishment follows the RAF-led small aircraft UK flight fueled by 15 liters of synthetic gasoline in November, which also set a global record. Water and carbon dioxide are combined to create synthetic fuel, which is then put under pressure and given an electric current to ignite.

Senior RAF and business executives observed the 90-minute flight from RAF Brize Norton that a team of RAF, Rolls-Royce, and Airbus flight test pilots flew to simulate an air-to-air refueling sortie.

It highlighted the RAF's potential for developing its operational capabilities in the future, guaranteeing that it would be able to support the UK's defense in its endeavors.

Net Zero 2050 Target

The RAF is actively seeking to minimize the lifecycle carbon emissions caused by flying its aircraft, and this ground-breaking test flight is just one example.

Other RAF advances have included flying an electric aircraft at RAF Cranwell, producing fuel from genetically engineered bacteria, and setting a world record for a microlight flight using synthetic fuel.

Sustainable aviation fuel might significantly change the RAF's objective of being Net Zero by 2040. They also plan to set their first Net Zero airbase by 2025 as they work toward the Government's Net Zero 2050 target and Jet Zero Strategy.

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Written by Jace Dela Cruz