An Air Force F-15 Eagle flew twice the speed of sound this week, using a synthetic fuel blend.
The service has already flown some of its bigger, heavier aircraft -- like the C-17 cargo plane and B-52 bomber -- on the 50-50 blend of synthetics and standard JP-8 jet fuel. A B-1 even broke the sound barrier, using the mixture. But this is the first time a maneuverable, high-performance fighter has been powered by the stuff.
First came a 50-minute ground test "that pushed the aircraft's engines from military power to full afterburner," according to the Macon Telegraph. Then the plane took off for a 55-minute flight, reaching speeds of Mach 2.2.
The test is part of a larger military investigation into an eighty year-old process for converting coal or natural gas into liquid fuel called Fischer-Tropsch. It's what helped the German Army make 124,000 barrels of fuel per day during World War II. The fuel isn't necessarily any better for the environment than standard stuff; but it can be made domestically, reducing the need for foreign oil.
The Air Force is looking for certify all of its aircraft on the snyth-fuel blend. Up next week: the country's newest, best-performing jet, the F-22 Raptor.
[Photo: Op-For]
