The Royal Air Force (RAF) of the United Kingdom has completed a flight test of a massive military transport aircraft powered entirely by renewable fuel—used cooking oil.
According to a press release issued by the United Kingdom government on Friday, the RAF completed a 100 percent sustainable fuel flight using a military transport aircraft of this size, a world first for any aircraft type and the first of its kind in Britain.
“They should be rightly proud of this achievement; it is a breakthrough moment for the RAF and an exciting development for the MOD [Ministry of Defense],” said Baroness Goldie, the U.K.’s defence minister.
“Through the RAF’s pioneering spirit, expertise, and partnership with U.K. industry, British science and engineering are leading the way in improving operational resilience and developing future operating capability in a climate-changed world.”
The RAF Voyager, the military version of the Airbus A330, recently flew over Oxfordshire using only sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), presenting a number of future aviation possibilities for both military and civilian aircraft.
The lifecycle carbon emissions of sustainable aviation fuel, which is made from waste-based sustainable feedstocks such as used cooking oil, are often up to 80% lower when compared to conventional jet fuel.
The mission’s fuel was provided by Air bp, collaboration between the RAF, DE&S, and industrial partners Airbus, AirTanker, and Rolls-Royce.
The successful flight test on Wednesday is said to reduce the RAF’s reliance on global supply chains, increase operational resilience, and reduce carbon footprints.
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