A team from Arnold Engineering & Development Center in Tennessee transported special equipment to Tinker AFB, Okla., to conduct “exhaust gas analysis” for a B-52 bomber engine burning a synthetic fuel blend derived from natural gas. Officials said the test results would aid a flight test slated for next month when USAF will fly a B-52 using the synthetic Fischer-Tropsch fuel in two of its eight engines. The AEDC-led tests verified that the synthetic fuel blend would not hamper engine performance or release more emissions than the standard JP-8 jet fuel.
The Air Force plans to field at least 500 semi-autonomous fighter drones known as Collaborative Combat Aircraft by 2032, and another 500 cheap reconnaissance and strike drones known as Massed Modular Aircraft that same year, Air Force Secretary Troy Meink said Sept. 14.
