SUSTAINABLE AVIATION FUEL: INVESTING IN THE FUTURE
DAVID ALMANOCTOBER 25, 2022
General Jimmy Doolittle is typically remembered for his exploits as a test pilot and combat leader during War II. Yet his greatest contribution to the war effort may have come years earlier, when Doolittle was an executive with Shell Oil Company in the 1930s. There, he convinced Shell to invest in producing a new grade of aviation fuel — 100 octane — to replace the 87 octane fuel then in use. 100 octane fuel, combined with other advances in engine technology, provided American aircraft with a significant performance advantage over competitors. It was a prescient investment.
With the new fuel came increased performance, such as greater speed and climb rates along with reduced takeoff distances. It was just one of many edges the Allied air forces used to ultimately prevail in the conflict. The massive growth in 100 octane fuel use during the war fueled the next generation of civilian aircraft; even today, general aviation aircraft use a modified version of the same 100 octane fuel that powered American fighters and bombers in the skies over Europe and Japan.
Today, private industry and government have an opportunity to invest in another new kind of fuel to provide for the national defense: sustainable aviation fuel. There are challenges, just as there were in the 1930s, but the opportunity for the United States is significant. A commitment by the Department of Defense to buy a set quantity of sustainable aviation fuel could help catalyze further private-sector investment and deliver meaningful benefits to national security. While sustainable aviation fuel will not yet provide an equivalent performance increase as 100-octane did, it brings with it other strategic benefits meriting consideration. These benefits include increased energy security, more stable aviation fuel prices for defense consumers, and diplomatic victories. The United States has a once-a-century opportunity to position itself on the leading edge of a new energy source; it would do well to not let the opportunity pass it by.
https://warontherocks.com/2022/10/sustainable-aviation-fuel-investing-in-the-future/
