New Delhi, December 17

The Indian Air Force created history today as it flew an AN-32 using a bio-fuel blended with normal aviation turbine fuel (ATF). The transport plane, which routinely drops supplies, men and equipment to Leh, Siachen-base camp, Kargil and Srinagar, took a 45-minute sortie from Chandigarh using green fuel.

The plane was flown by experimental test pilots and a test engineer from IAF’s aircraft and systems testing establishment (ASTE).

The project is a combined effort of the IAF, DRDO, Directorate General Aeronautical Quality Assurance (DGAQA) and Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research CSIR-Indian Institute of Petroleum.

This opens the possibility of having a continued use of bio-fuel in military aircraft. The IAF may decide to test other aircraft like helicopter and fighter jets, significantly reducing the oil import bill and also encouraging framers in arid area to grow more plants that yield tree-based oil.

The IAF Chief, Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa, had in July announced their intention to promote bio-fuels.

Air Vice Marshal Manmohan Bahadur (retd), Additional Director General of the Centre for Air Power Studies (CAPS) — a think-tank — said: “It is the first step. It can help reduce crude imports. However, many more steps are needed to have an efficient logistics trail.” — TNS