Air Force Flies Another "Bird" on Coal

The Air Force is very comfortable using Synthetic fuel now in its aircraft. It's technology of choice to date is fuel synthesized from coal.

clipped from www.flightglobal.com US Air Force B-1 to fly supersonic on synfuel The US Air Force plans make the first supersonic flight on synthetic jet fuel this week, using a Rockwell B-1B bomber powered by General Electric F101 afterburning engines. The flight will be another milestone in USAF plans to certify its entire inventory of aircraft to use a 50:50 blend of synthetic and conventional jet fuel by early 2011. A B-1B Lancer based at Dyess AFB in Texas will make the supersonic demonstration flight. The USAF has already certified the Boeing B-52 bomber and C-17 airlifter to fly on synthetic fuel. The B-52 flew with the blended fuel in two engines in September 2006, and all eight engines in December that year. The C-17 completed the first transcontinental flight on blended fuel in December 2007. the USAF plans to meet half its domestic requirements with US-produced coal-to-liquid synthetic fuel by 2016.