The US Air Force is teaming with carbon transformation company Twelve to produce viable fuel for military aircraft “out of thin air,” allowing the service to save billions of dollars on aviation fuel purchases.
The partnership will utilize ground-breaking carbon transformation technology, turning carbon dioxide from the air into jet fuel.
The company passed a significant milestone in August when it was able to produce jet fuel out of the colorless gas and set up the process of creating carbon-neutral fuel in larger quantities.
According to the service, the process that Twelve has developed, which involves water and power from renewable energy sources, has the potential to be “highly deployable and scalable.” It can also enable soldiers to access synthetic fuel anywhere in the world.
The first phase of the project is expected to be complete by December. The Air Force and the technology firm will release a report to detail all processes involved and their findings.
‘Winning Potential War’
In a press release, the air force explained that it relies heavily on commercial fuel to conduct operations, whether domestic or outside the US. As a result, the service utilizes trucks, aircraft, and ships to ensure fuel is delivered to meet warfighter demand.
However, it pointed out that not all areas of operation are easily accessible for logistics support vehicles, especially during conflicts. With Twelve’s carbon transformation process, units on challenging military missions will create fuel without the need for fuel experts on site.
“History has taught us that our logistics supply chains are one of the first things the enemy attacks,” Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Operational Energy, Roberto Guerrero, stated. “As peer-adversaries pose more and more of a threat, what we do to reduce our fuel and logistics demand will be critical to avoid risk and win any potential war.”
Meanwhile, Twelve co-founder and CEO Nicholas Flanders remarked that carbon transformation could untether aviation from petroleum supply chains. He also stressed that the company is willing to help the Air Force find new, innovative sources of aviation fuel.