The Air Force is continuing to test whether it can use synthetic fuel to power jet aircraft, taking the test B-52 back to its home base at Minot AFB, N.D., to conduct ground tests in cold weather. Testing begins this week and runs through the beginning of February. In December, the service flew the B-52 with a 50-50 blend of traditional crude-oil based fuel and a Fischer-Tropsch fuel derived from natural gas powering all eight of its jet engines. This cold weather testing is the final step in a testing and certification process intended to help reduce Air Force dependence on imported fuel.
Exasperated with the delays to the F-35’s Tech Refresh 3 update—which has held up deliveries of completed fighters since last fall—the House Armed Services Committee wants to slash the military services’ fiscal 2025 F-35 purchase by at least 10 aircraft and as much as 20.