F/A-18 Green Super Hornet run on 50% biofuel

This site is called Green-Racer and we’re environmentally conscious speed addicts here. Therefore a press release from the Department of the Navy caught my eye. April 22nd is Earthday, and to celebrate it the US Navy is going to demonstrate the ‘Green Hornet,’ an F/A-18 Super Hornet powered by a 50/50 biofuel blend. The test is a demonstration of an initiative to increase warfighting capabilities by reducing our dependence on fossil fuels from unstable regions. By 2016 the Navy wants to have a “Great Green Fleet,” of nuclear ships, surface machinery with hybrid electric power, and aircraft flying only on biofuels. By 2020 half of the total Department of the Navy’s energy consumption will come from alternative sources.

The ‘Green Hornet’s’ biofuel blend is from the camelina sativa plant, which is a US-grown food source. The point of the test is to demonstrate the Navy’s initiative towards green energy, and to confirm there’s no difference in performance compared to standard petroleum-based JP-5 jet propellant. The test will take place at the Navy Fuels Lab at NAVAIR Patuxent River, MD. Plans to transition to biofuels have already begun for the Marine Corps as well.