Air Force engineers at the Arnold Engineering Development Center at Arnold AFB, Tenn., earlier this month began performance testing of an F110 engine from an F-16 running on a 50-50 blend of traditional JP-8 aviation fuel and a bio-fuel. The Air Force is using a bio fuel referred to as hydroprocessed renewable jet fuel, or HRJ, that is derived from the oil of the seeds from the camelina plant. The service intends to certify its entire aircraft fleet for unrestricted use of this HRJ blend by the end of 2012. The work at AEDC “is producing the baseline data” to support flight testing and fleet-wide viability assessments, said Jeff Braun, director of USAF’s alternative fuels certification office at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. Back in March, an A-10C became the first aircraft to fly with this 50-50 blend in a test. (Arnold report by Philip Lorenz)
US Space Command Should Always Be Led by a Guardian
Sept. 12, 2026
General Stephen Whiting took command of U.S. Space Command in January 2024, and if customary three-year tenures hold, his tour would end in January 2027. The question now before the President and Senate is who should follow him? Whoever they choose, it has to be a Guardian—and so should every successor…
