UK flies RAF transport aircraft with cooking oil

In a bid to open up a world of possibilities for military and commercial aircraft, the RAF Voyager, the military version of an Airbus A330, flew over Oxfordshire, UK while being powered solely by 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

The fuel used to power the engines of the aircraft was cooking oil.

In a press release by the UK government on last Friday, the UK Royal Air Force (RAF) announced that they used cooking oil in their military transport aircraft and the flight was successful. In the statement, it was underlined that the operation is a first in the world for any aircraft type.

The RAF Voyager remained in the air for approximately 90 minutes. During this time, air-to-air refueling sorties were also carried out.

When compared to conventional jet fuel, the carbon emissions of sustainable aviation fuel, which is made from waste-based sustainable raw materials like used cooking oil, are 80% lower. However, the test flight is not the RAF's first move in this direction. The air force has been working on construction projects in this region for a while.

As per reports, Air bp provided the fuel for the mission, a joint endeavor of RAF, DE&S, and industrial partners Airbus, AirTanker, and Rolls-Royce.

It is claimed that the successful flight test on Wednesday could lead to a reduction of RAF's dependency on global supply chains and increases operational resilience, and lessen its carbon footprints.