Achievement: Air Force aircraft took off for the first time with bio jet fuel in both engines

• The AN-32 flew with bio jet fuel in both engines for the first time.
• 10% bio jet fuel mixture used in both engines.

A new achievement has been registered in the account of Indian Air Force. Air Force aircraft AN-32 flew from Leh with bio jet fuel (biofuel) in both engines for the first time. AN-32 aircraft flew from Leh’s Kushok Bakula Rimpochi Airport. For the first time, a mixture of 10 percent bio jet fuel was used in both its engines.

This is the first time a mixture of Indian bio jet fuel was used in both engines of the aircraft. The aircraft was tested at the Chandigarh Air Base before this operational flight at Leh.

Leh is at an altitude of 10,682 feet above sea level

Leh is at an altitude of 10,682 feet above sea level. It is one of the highest and most difficult operational airfields in the world. It is known for highly sensitive weather. Even in clear weather conditions, landing and take-off of aircraft in Leh is quite challenging. Rare atmosphere, turbulent air and proximity to the hills have a high pressure on the aircraft engine.

Under these conditions, the performance evaluation of bio jet fuel is very important from the operational point of view. The test was jointly conducted by the Aircraft and System Testing Stabilization, the team of test pilots from Bangalore and the pilots of the Operational Squadron.

This successful test also shows that the Indian Air Force is capable of adopting new technology with indigenization. The technology to produce this fuel was developed by CSIR-IIP in 2013, but could not be tested for commercial use due to lack of testing facilities in the country.

In 2018, the Air Force prepared the project for this test and started working on a plan to carry out the entire series of tests.