India plans to completely shift to electric cars and cleaner fuels in the coming years, but turns out we’re slow to change our ways. That can’t be said for the country’s military, though. The Indian Air Force (IAF) flew India’s first military flight using blended bio-jet fuel in Chandigarh. IAF flew an Antonov AN-32 aircraft, which was the first time a Russian aircraft had been flown using biofuel.
It comes five months after Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa announced IAF’s intention to promote bio-jet fuels and fly a biofuel aircraft over New Delhi on Republic Day 2019. The project is a combined effort of IAF, DRDO, Directorate General Aeronautical Quality Assurance (DGAQA) and CSIR-Indian Institute of Petroleum.
This fuel is made from Jatropha oil sourced from Chattisgarh Biodiesel Development Authority (CBDA) & then processed at CSIR-IIP, Dehradun. IAF intends to fly An-32 aircraft using biojet fuel on 26 Jan 2019, in the Republic Day flypast. pic.twitter.com/iH65muEpLh
— Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) December 17, 2018
IAF flew the plane after conducting extensive tests on the ground and with an aim to promote indigenous technologies. This can lead to a significant reduction in IAF’s operating costs as well as create a strategic advantage for India in terms of fuel dependence and reserves. The breakthrough can establish India as a serious player in the global market for biofuels.
In a statement, the IAF said,
“This fuel is made from Jatropha oil sourced from Chattisgarh Biodiesel Development Authority (CBDA) & then processed at CSIR-IIP, Dehradun. IAF intends to fly An-32 aircraft using biojet fuel on 26 Jan 2019, in the Republic Day flypast.”
The biofuel is known as ‘drop-in fuel’ as it can be exchanged with existing crude oil derived aviation turbine fuel. The IAF now plans to have all Russian-origin aircraft and helicopters use a 10 per cent blend of the fuel.
