A team from Arnold Engineering & Development Center in Tennessee transported special equipment to Tinker AFB, Okla., to conduct “exhaust gas analysis” for a B-52 bomber engine burning a synthetic fuel blend derived from natural gas. Officials said the test results would aid a flight test slated for next month when USAF will fly a B-52 using the synthetic Fischer-Tropsch fuel in two of its eight engines. The AEDC-led tests verified that the synthetic fuel blend would not hamper engine performance or release more emissions than the standard JP-8 jet fuel.
Amid NATO’s continued push to ramp up air defenses in Eastern Europe, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall swung by seven allied countries to boost relations last week, including those on Russia’s and Ukraine’s doorstep.