Posted on 12/08/2010 11:07:35 PM PST by ErnstStavroBlofeld
That's the latest from the Air Force, which has been running tests to see how its aircraft perform burning something other than straight jet fuel. The initiative is aimed not only at shrinking its carbon footprint and spurring alternative fuels development, but also at strengthening national security.
Monday's alternative fuel test of the Global Hawk UAV was considered one of the most challenging yet for the Air Force.
The drone that flies at high altitudes and low temperatures was one of the last that the Air Force needed to test in its current spate of trial runs before its fleet is certified to run on a 50-50 blend of jet fuel and alternative fuels.
(Excerpt) Read more at csmonitor.com ...
Will it run on Chevy Volt batteries?
Many UAV’s out there run on some sort of battery. Where its fuel cell, lithium ion(car battery)or rechargable batteries.
Many UAV’s out there run on some sort of battery. Where its fuel cell, lithium ion(car battery)or rechargable batteries.
Yeah I hope this weapon of war leaves a lighter “carbon footprint” ...
The Air Force is wasting their valuable resources on this.
Not necessarily: petroleum-based fuel has to be brought into theater by the supply chain, since petroleum refineries are large and not easily transportable. A biofuel might be producable on-site, maybe even from the material left over from cutting an unimproved runway. That in turn would make the AF a lot more mobile and harder to kill.
There was a pregnant pause, the various program offices went “Ummm”, and then dropped the concept (After spending millions, of course).
One other piece of trivia about the NB-36H: whenever the plane flew, a C-119 “Flying Boxcar” loaded with armed paratroopers accompanied it. If the NB-36H crashed, the paratroopers were to jump and cordon off the crash site until USAF decontamination and crash investigators could arrive. NOT a good plan, especially for the paratroopers.
The US military is the ultimate early adopter of new technologies, often the first customer when no other customers can afford the price. The price then falls over time until the new technology is cheaper than what it replaces, which leads to new wealth for America. Military spending on new technologies is the reason America is now the wealthiest country in the world. Do you need examples? Petroleum will likely be replaced by genetically engineered ocean grown saltwater algae developed for the US military, which happens to be the largest user of petroleum in the world. The replacement will never come from Al Gore or the environmentalists. Obama is cutting DARPA's budget to fund more foodstamps.
I’d like to see them test these new technologies on Air Force One.
There was a pregnant pause, the various program offices went “Ummm”, and then dropped the concept (After spending millions, of course).
That's a shame because the US also built a nuclear rocket engine that performed up to every expectation. They decided to blow it up on purpose while it was operating to see what would happen. There was no fallout whatsoever.
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