AF burns alternative fuel over NM at speed of sound

An Air Force B-1 bomber like this one flew over White Sands Missile Range, confirming that such aircraft can fly at supersonic speeds on a blend of petroleum and alternative fuel. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Lance Cheung)

White Sands Missile Range was the historic setting in March for the Air Force's first test of alternative fuel at supersonic speeds -- and it proved successful, according to a story this week in the Wall Street Journal.

It's not that the Air Force is trying to go "green" (although that's mentioned in its press release announcing the feat). Rather, the continually rising price of oil is fueling the military's foray into alternative energy.

According to the WSJ article, the U.S. military consumes 340,000 barrels of oil a day. That's not gallons, but barrels, every day.

Within the federal government, the Air Force alone is the single largest user of aviation fuel, using an estimated 3 billion gallons per year, according to the Air Force release. "Each time the price of oil goes up $10 per barrel, it costs the Air Force an additional $600 million for fuel."

The Air Force says the fuel used in the White Sands flight was a "cleaner, more cost-efficient" 50-50 blend of half-synthetic and half-conventional fuel, with the synthetic fuel created from natural gas. The Wall Street Journal article said the blend used on the experimental flight has been used in commercial flights in South Africa for years, but never at such high speeds.

At the moment, synthetic fuels created from coal or natural gas are more expensive than oil, but that could change as the price of oil continues to climb. Plus, the mere fact that the giant military industrial complex is creating a market for synthetic fuel could help bring its price down.

"The goal is to have every aircraft using synthetic fuel blends by 2011," the article said, quoting Maj. Don Rhymer, assigned to the Air Force Alternative Fuels Certification Office. "By 2016 we hope at least 50 percent of this fuel will be produced domestically."

The Wall Street Journal reporter flew on the March 19 test flight, which left Dyess Air Force Base near Abilene, Texas, flew over White Sands, reached Mach 1 and returned to Dyess. Reporter Yochi J. Dreazen wrote of the experience over New Mexico:

When the B-1 crossed into the closed airspace above the White Sands Missile Range, Capt. (Rick) Fournier yanked back his throttle and sent the plane climbing almost straight up, throwing the bomber's occupants back into their seats. He then pitched into a steep dive. Pens and other small objects hovered around the cabin, weightless, until the plane leveled off again.

 

Capt. Fournier fired the plane's afterburners and sent the bomber roaring over the range. A small dial in the cockpit showed that the bomber was flying faster than Mach 1.

 

Back at Dyess, the crew packed into a small conference room to analyze the flight with a crew of military and civilian officials, including a pair of engineers from GE, which makes the bomber's engines. Capt. Fournier said the plane handled normally at high speeds and on sharp turns. The only difference he noticed was that the synthetic fuel had a different smell than conventional jet fuel.

With the captain pronouncing the flight unremarkable, the bomber passed the test and fighter planes will be tested next, with all Air Force planes being tested by 2011, according to the article.

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