Secretary Views Test of F101 Engine

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Secretary Views Test of F101 Engine
Air Force Print News | November 28, 2007

ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, Tenn.-- The secretary of the Air Force viewed the first ground testing of the General Electric F101 engine using a 50-50 mix of Fischer-Tropsch and JP-8 jet fuels Nov. 27 at Arnold Air Force Base.

Secretary Michael W. Wynne witnessed the first series to qualify a high-performance, afterburning engine with FT fuel for a combat aircraft at the Arnold Engineering Development Center.

The Air Force's synthetic fuel initiative has already reached some significant milestones this year, including successful flight certification of the B-52 Stratofortress and successful qualification ground testing of the engine that powers both the C-17 Globemaster III and the Boeing 757, Secretary Wynne said.

The ground testing of the B-1B Lancer engine is the next step toward certifying the second bomber aircraft.

"This test that we're going to do today, on a two-stage engine, the F101, is the first reach into the supersonic," he said. "Once we do the qualification on the ground, then we'll mount that engine back into an airplane and we'll fly the B-1B on a supersonic flight (using synthetic fuel)."

Secretary Wynne, who was at Arnold AFB to observe the FT engine ground test and certification process, said alternative fuel is not currently being commercially produced on a large scale in the United States. He hopes the current testing will help to change that.


Rest of article at: http://www.military.com/features/0,15240,157150,00.html