The military's participation in the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) has started in recent years. Gradually, a series of trials were carried out on various types and types of aircraft/helicopters.
As the latest news came from Airbus Defense and Space (ADS), which reported that together with the German Air Force (Luftwaffe) they were preparing for SAF trials on the A400M Atlas heavy transport aircraft.
Quoted from an ADS press release received by Indomiliter.com, what ADS has done with the Luftwaffe is the first time that the A400M Atlas operator has done it. Like the SAF trials in general, the adoption of SAF in the A400 is carried out in stages, namely by using a mixture of 50 percent SAF on one engine.
This initial flight test will be carried out with a single engine to better assess the overall behavior of the aircraft. After successfully completing a single engine flight, Airbus expects to resume trials on four engines in 2023.
Once testing activity is completed on four engines, other operators of the A400M can get 'permission' to conduct SAF trials at 50 percent content. Later Airbus will develop a roadmap towards certification and operational use of 100 percent SAF on the A400M.
Airbus said that the conversion program to SAF was something that would not be achieved overnight. “This type of fuel first needs to be technically assessed by the engine manufacturer before we can start test flights to certify the TP 400M engine for the SAF 100 percent.
Currently, this type of fuel has not been fully standardized or tested. We are in the early stages of an initial feasibility check,” said Mike Schoellhorn, Chief Executive Officer of Airbus Defense and Space.
For the record, the Airbus A400M is powered by 4× Europrop TP400-D6 turboprops with a power of 8,200 kW (11,000 hp) each. The maximum speed of the A400 reaches Mach 0.72 and a cruising speed of 781 km per hour.
With a maximum payload capacity of 37 tons, the A400 can fly as far as 3,200 km. Manufacturers and users alike hope that engine performance with minimal SAF can match the performance of engines with conventional petroleum-based fuels.
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| Atlas Airbus A400M |
SAF is an alternative fuel that is proven to reduce CO2 emissions by up to 85 percent compared to conventional fuels. Moving towards a more sustainable future is everyone's fundamental task. Switching from petroleum-based kerosene to sustainable fuels is playing a big role in the aviation world's efforts to reduce CO2 emissions.
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Germany has now ordered 53 A400Ms (37 have already been delivered), and became the first user country of the A400 to launch a phased transformation to the SAF.
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