NH90 helicopter achieves sustainable fuel milestone
France’s DGA defence procurement agency has carried out the first test flight of an NHI NH90 helicopter with one of its two Safran RTM322 engines running on sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
This flight took place on 3 February 2023 at the DGA Essais en vol test centre in Istres, marking a first for a military helicopter with such a high content of SAF, and without any engine modification. The fuel supplied by TotalEnergies meets aviation industry objectives of accelerating decarbonisation without making modifications to aircraft, engine or logistics infrastructure (drop-in fuel).
This was preceded by bench testing at Safran Helicopter Engines' Bordes facility, validating use of this fuel on the RTM322, in December 2022.
Related Articles
DGA missile test unit puts surveillance on a tether
Safran signs engine support contract for New Zealand NH90 fleet
Indra to help develop third NH90 sim for Spain
Christian Caneilles, head of heavy helicopter engines programmes at Safran, said: 'This is an important step in our roadmap for the large-scale deployment of SAF, which will kick-start a decarbonisation process within the armed forces to gradually reduce the use of fossil fuels.'
More from Air Warfare
-
Doodle Labs expands use of its radios on UAV systems
Mesh Rider is a SWaP (Size, Weight and Power) optimised mesh radio designed for uncrewed systems and supports six frequency bands in a single transceiver and AES-256 encryption. It was developed in cooperation with the US Defense Innovation Unit.
-
NATO’s E-3A fleet more important than ever, says force commander
NATO’s E-3A fleet will have been in service for more than half a century by the time of their expected retirement but a boost to the capability and conflict elsewhere have highlighted their importance.
-
New Turkish Kemankes loitering munition begins testing
The Kemankes 2 was said to be designed to conduct deep-strike missions on high-priority targets.
-
NATO progresses effort to replace E-3A AWACS fleet
NATO’s E-3A AWACS fleet has been scheduled for retirement from 2035. The NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) has been leading the Alliance Future Surveillance and Control (AFSC) project to develop new options for future surveillance and control capabilities, based on future technology and requirements.