IAF՚s an-32 Aircraft Formally Certified to Operate on Indigenous Bio-Jet Fuel

IAF՚s formidable workhorse, the Russian made AN-32 aircraft was formally fleet certified to fly on blended aviation fuel containing up to 10% of indigenous bio-jet fuel. The approval certificate was received at the aero-engine test facilities at Chandigarh.

This Image in IAF՚s an-32 Aircraft Formally Certified

Certification Preview

  • The indigenous bio-jet fuel was first produced by the Indian Institute of Petroleum, Dehradun in 2013at Dehradun. Due to lack of test facilities in the civil aviation sector, the indigenous bio-jet could not be tested or certified for commercial use on aircraft.
  • The Chief of the Air Staff in 2018 had formally announced IAF՚s intention to permit the use of all its resources for testing and certifying the indigenous fuel.
  • IAF՚s flight test crew and engineers have been evaluating the performance of this fuel against international standards immediately after the announcement of the permit.

Bio-Jet Fuel

  • Bio-fuel which will be used by AN-32 fleet would be produced from tree borne oils (TBOs) sourced from tribal areas.
  • Biofuels are fuels manufactured from biomass.
  • Biomass resources are the biodegradable fraction of products, wastes and residues from agriculture, forestry and related industries as well as the biodegradable fraction of industrial and municipal wastes.

Significance

  • AN-32 is Twin engine turboprop medium tactical transport aircraft of Russian origin. with a
  • AN-32 consists of a crew of five and capacity to carry 39 paratroopers or max load of 6.7 tonnes with a max cruise speed of 530 km⟋hr.
  • SpiceJet operated India՚s first commercial airplane on biofuel from Dehradun to Delhi on 27th August 2018.
  • At present, liquid biofuel is used in automobiles in India. This includes ethanol produced from crops containing sugar and starch and biodiesel from oilseeds. According to government statistics, oil marketing.
  • In last one year IAF undertook a series of evaluation tests and trials with this green aviation fuel.
  • The scope of these evaluation tests and checks was in consonance with international aviation standards.
  • The approval granted is an acknowledgement of meticulous testing using indigenous bio-jet fuel by IAF.

Examrace Team at Aug 22, 2021