As we reported Wednesday, the A-10 has flown in tests with the synthetic fuel blend that the Air Force intends to introduce fleet-wide by early next decade. Jeff Braun, director of USAF’s alternative fuels certification office, tells the Daily Report that USAF expects full certification by year’s end for the A-10 to operate with this fuel. Braun said the Air Force has cleared the F-22 and the F-4 (USAF flies QF-4 target drones) for unrestricted use of this fuel, in addition to the platforms we’ve previously reported on: B-1, B-52, C-17, and F-15. In addition to the A-10, the C-5, C-130J, F-16, KC-135, and T-38 have run on the fuel in tests and are awaiting certification. Yet to fly on it are the B-2 (expected by year’s end), T-6 and HH-60 (early next year), and RQ-4 and MQ-9 (summer 2010), said Braun.
The Air Force’s Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile is behind schedule and may significantly overrun its expected cost, which could partially explain why the service is reviving the hypersonic AGM-183 Air-Launched Rapid-Response Weapon.