A U.S. Navy EA-18G "Green Growler" has completed flight testing a 100% advanced biofuel at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland.

"From takeoff to landing, you couldn't tell any difference," says Lieutenant Commander Bradley Fairfax, test pilot with Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 23.

This EA-18G Growler flew on 100% alternative biofuel. Image credit: U.S. Navy/Adam Skoczylas.This is the first time the Navy has looked at a process that can produce a fuel with all the properties and chemistry of petroleum-based jet fuel without having to blend with JP-5, says Rick Kamin, energy and fuels lead for the Naval Air Systems Command.

The catalytic hydrothermal conversion-to-jet fuel tested is fully drop-in, meaning it requires no changes to the jet's engines, operational procedures, or transport or delivery equipment. Produced by Applied Research Associates and Chevron Lummus Global, the biofuel is made using the same feedstocks as the hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids 50% advanced biofuel blend previously approved by the Navy—but it goes through a new conversion process to yield a fully synthetic fuel that does not require blending.

A 100% alternative helps with procurement and logistics, Kamin says. A blend requires the biofuel manufacturer to mix its biofuel with petroleum-based JP-5 to produce an on-specification product, which requires more time and additional facilities, all with a potentially higher cost.

The program also supports Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus' operational energy goal of increasing the use of alternative fuels by 2020.