U.S. Air Force prepares to test synthetic fuel on B-52

September 13, 2006 The move to become less dependent on foreign oil is certainly beginning to accelerate and the news that the U.S. Air Force is getting set to trial a B-52 powered by a mix of synthetic and JP-8 fuel shows everyone is getting the message. The historic first flight is slated for early next week (Sept 19)from Edwards Air Force Base in California, bringing the Air Force one step closer to reducing its dependence on foreign fuel. "This is an extremely important moment for the Department of Defense," said Michael A. Aimone, the Air Force's assistant deputy chief of staff for logistics, installations and mission support. "Our goal is to by 2016 have 50 percent of our aviation fuel coming from alternative fuel sources," he said. According to Aimone, energy is both an economic and national security issue, which is why the Air Force has developed a comprehensive energy strategy.

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