Milestone: first 100% SAF flight with military aircraft
For the first time ever, a 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) flight was carried out successfully using a military aircraft. The flight was a joint effort by Royal Air Force (RAF), Airbus and other industry partners.
By Airbus
A RAF Voyager, the military variant of the Airbus A330 commercial jetliner, flew completely on 100% SAF, on both engines. The test flight success helps pave the way for a sustainable reduction of carbon emissions of military aircraft, BusinessInnovationMag reports.
The SAF that this aircraft flew on was made from waste-based sustainable feedstocks, in this case used cooking oil. SAF reduces lifecycle carbon emissions by up to 80 per cent compared to the conventional fuel it replaces.
The 90-minute flight was performed by a combined Airbus, RAF and Rolls-Royce flight-test crew. The crew carried out and extensive Test Plan, allowing comparison of SAF with JET1 fuel.
