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 emphasis on speed in the Pentagon’s newly unveiled slate of acquisition reforms may come with increased near-term cost increases, analysts say. But according to U.S. defense officials, the new weapons-buying construct provides the military with enough flexibility to prevent runaway budget overruns in major programs.
