The US Air Force has carried out a test run on a F110 bio-fuel engine, which could be used to power the F-16 Fighting Falcon.
The fuel comprises a 50/50 blend of JP-8 conventional aviation fuel and a bio-fuel derived from the seed of the camelina plant.
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The test at Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC) is the first dedicated, uninstalled engine test conducted by the air force on hydro-processed renewable jet (HRJ) blended fuel.
It includes the overall engine conditions experienced in the full flight envelope, ignition light-off, throttle transients, augmenter lights and sequencing along with screech and rumble monitoring.
The data produced from the programme will be used to justify and support upcoming flight tests of the F-22, C-17 and the F-15.
During the test, the F11, along with the F100, were selected as they are considered the most challenging and the most fleet-representative engines across the air force.
The programme aims to complete certification of the air force fleet, including the F-16, for unrestricted use of the HRJ blended fuel by the end of 2012.
