Warbird Information Exchange

Secretary of the U.S. Air Force Michael W. Wynne, Aug. 8, announced the completion of the Air Force’s certification of Fischer-Tropsch fuel blends for the B-52H during a signing ceremony at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.

Wynne signed a certificate at the ceremony certifying that a blended FT and standard JP-8 jet fuel is safe for operational use in all B-52H aircraft.

"This is a great day for the U.S. Air Force, it’s a great day to be here at the flight test center, and it’s another milestone achievement that’s been accomplished at the flight test center," said Wynne.

The B-52H was chosen as the test platform because of key advantages such as its eight engines, he said. The fuel system in the B-52 can simultaneously isolate, carry and manage both a test fuel and the standard JP-8 fuel.

The Air Force now plans to test and certify every airframe to fly on a domestically-produced synthetic fuel blend by early 2011.

"Typically we think of a weapons system as going after military targets. What we’ve done here we’re able to go after political and economic targets," said Col Michael Hirka, commander of the 327th Aircraft Sustainment Group, who also signed the certificate. "We think we’ve hit another target rather than just a military target like the B-52 has been attacking for many years."

Boeing supported the tests to certify the B-52 at the Oklahoma City Air Logistic Center, Tinker AFB, Okla. Boeing’s B-52 programs are based at its Wichita, Kan., facility.