This weekend, the Royal Air Force’s (RAF) Typhoon aircraft made history by completing its first public display on a blend of sustainable fuel and regular jet fuel at the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT), according to a press release from the RAF.
The eight-minute display, piloted by Flight Lieutenant David ‘Turbo’ Turnbull, utilised a 35% blend of sustainable fuel.
This initiative aligns with the airshow’s theme, ‘Pushing the Boundaries in Air and Space’. The RAF Typhoons, known for their agility and multi-role combat capabilities, can reach speeds of nearly 1,400 mph.
The Royal International Air Tattoo, held annually at RAF Fairford, is the UK’s premier airshow, attracting 150,000 visitors. Proceeds from the event are donated to the Royal Air Force Charitable Trust, its parent charity.
Air Vice-Marshal Shaun Harris, Director Support, highlighted the significance of this achievement in the press release, stating, “The Royal Air Force was delighted to be able to perform a world first at RIAT, displaying a UK combat aircraft using a blend of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). Having cleared all of our aircraft to use blends of up to 50% in 2020, and conducting the world’s first military transport aircraft flight on 100% SAF in 2022, we remain at the forefront of this important work with industry partners.”
Harris further noted that using sustainable fuels contributes to reducing carbon emissions under the Defence Aviation Net Zero Strategy, ensuring the RAF can operate globally.
Kate McKinley, People and Sustainability Director at RAF Charitable Trust Enterprises, praised the milestone in the press release, saying, “This is a landmark moment for the Royal International Air Tattoo. The Typhoon is an incredible aircraft – its display on blended SAF at this year’s show is a glimpse into the future as we all strive to become more sustainable – we are delighted it has happened at our event.”
The event saw participation from key members of the BAE Systems, RAF, and RAFCTE teams. Ian Muldowney, Chief Operating Officer at BAE Systems’ Air sector, expressed the company’s commitment to sustainability in the press release, stating, “We all have a responsibility for sustainability and we continue to collaborate with the RAF and the wider defence industry in achieving our goals to reduce carbon emissions. We are proud to support the RAF Typhoon Display Team in its landmark performance at this year’s show.”
BAE Systems is among the first defence companies to sign the Defence Aviation Net Zero Strategy Charter, which aims to help the UK achieve its Net Zero ambitions.
By 2035 we’ll have almost zero domestic refining and production capability for petroleum jet fuels assuming everything goes green, so we’ll need to be 100% dependent on the sustainable fuels and have resilience in the supply chain. Would great to see some numbers on efficiency and costs of the fuel though, having had foray into biofuels for my diesel efficiency wasn’t on par with fossil fuel alternative, which is still the case due to chemistry and because fossil fuels which is biomasss which has had energy imparted into it from millions of years of being squashed and heated underground. Not… Read more »
Might have a bit of a wait there chum 😆
But if we see an expansion of air activities in the next decades, overall emissions will go up.
This target is the same sort of virtue signalling nonsense that allows Drax to count as green.
Some green things make sense – inundation, double glazing, utilising solar power on top of domestic and commercial buildings. Using more efficient engines.
Windmills I have mixed feelings about.
This project is just lunacy.
What next convert the grass clipping from the airfield into jet fuel? If you haven’t got enough grass clippings you cannot fly?
“Sorry chaps, QRA is grounded because we don’t have enough biofuel.
Please attack us next year when we do some more mowing.”
I know this isn’t that kind of biofuel but you could still create a great sketch based on it!
Nah I’m all for it. If we can run our Forces on locally produced biofuel it reduces ouor reliance on imported fossil fuels.
It can also be called progress.
And I thought that strange smell was coming from field 4 at Totterdown campsite!
SAF has the same emissions and the illusion is that the feedstock is more sustainable. They don’t talk about the fact that the CO2 the plants needed to grow is released though. If you look at tome of the things like Colza oil, it pollutes more than petrol and diesel. I will not say fossil fuels since oil comes from a chemical process under pressure deep down and is nothing whatsoever to do with fossils. So, when we lose the nex conflict at least we will be able to say our emissions are lower even though it is not true.… Read more »
I was at RIAT, the Typhoon never fails to impress me