Sustainable fuel to power MoD aircraft

MOD aircraft such as F-35s, Typhoons and Wildcat helicopters currently use conventional fuel, with aviation accounting for nearly two thirds of fuel used across defence. 

The new standards could lead to a significant reduction in emissions and improve defence’s carbon footprint, allowing for the use of 50 per cent sustainable fuel sources known as ‘drop-ins’ including hydrogenated fats and oils, wood waste, alcohols, sugars, household waste, biomass and algae.

It is estimated that by substituting 30 per cent of conventional fuel with an alternative source in a jet travelling 1,000 nautical miles could reduce CO2 emissions by 18 per cent. The move has been described as marking a ‘huge shift’ in global fuel consumption and opens the door for thousands of civilian and military aircraft to be fuelled with Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAFs). 

As well as cutting emissions, using diverse and readily available materials such as household waste including packaging, grass cuttings and food scraps will prevent waste being sent to landfill.