Royal Air Force Voyager refuels mid-air with sustainable aviation fuel

The Royal Air Force has successfully completed a Voyager air-to-air refueling flight, powered by a 43 percent blend of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

Flying from the Royal Air Force Brize Norton base, over the North Sea and via Farnborough on its return home, the Voyager aircraft also undertook air-to-air refueling with Typhoons as part of planned training.

Made from waste-based sustainable feedstocks, such as used cooking oil, SAF reduces lifecycle carbon emissions by up to 80 percent compared to traditional jet fuel and will be key to reducing the Royal Air Force’s reliance on global supply chains and fossil fuels, while improving operational resilience.

This significant moment follows a series of recent milestones achieved by the Royal Air Force towards a sustainable aviation future, including the world’s first Royal Air Force Voyager flight fueled by 100 percent SAF.

“Greater use of alternative and sustainable fuel can only lead to positive outcomes for [the Ministry of] Defence, the United Kingdom, and our collective endeavor against climate change,” said Annabel Goldie, the U.K. defense minister. “This is not an easy undertaking by the Royal Air Force, but time and again we see that by working collaboratively with our partners across industry we can achieve crucial transformation.”

Part of a two-day industry-led conference—Sustainable Skies World Summit—the flight marks the U.K. aviation industry publishing its updated aviation Net Zero Carbon roadmap outlining how commercial aviation will become more sustainable and commercially viable.

The annual event, hosted at Farnborough International Exhibition & Conference Centre, brings together various partners from industry to showcase the latest developments in sustainable aviation technology and support efforts moving towards the implementation phase of meeting its net-zero commitment.

Supporting the Royal Air Force’s ambitions to be net zero by 2040, the Voyager flight was part of an existing task from the chief of the air staff to gather the required data to inform the longer-term transition away from fossil fuels.

The Royal Air Force has identified that using SAF and alternative aviation fuels will be critical for the future operational capability of the Royal Air Force and wider military aviation.

The U.K.’s SAF program is already one of the most comprehensive in the world and supports the vision to set the U.K. up to be a global leader in the development, production and use of SAF.

Supporting the prime minister’s priority to grow the economy, new aviation technologies and fuels provide huge opportunities for economic growth, delivering jobs and prosperity across the country.

“The continued success of sustainable aviation fuel is reassuring to see,” said Air Vice-Marshal Paul Lloyd, chief of staff support and chief engineer. “If we are to achieve our net-zero goal by 2040 then exploiting these technologies is going to be an enormous but worthwhile endeavor. Despite the challenge, the benefits of reducing our reliance on traditional supply chains and fossil fuels outweigh it. The Royal Air Force is proud to be leading in this area and I welcome the announcement introduction of commercial uses of SAF.”

Providing increased reliability and range, the Voyager aircraft gives the Royal Air Force an enhanced capability in support of troop mobility, the movement of military assets, and supports U.K. air defense.

With a payload of 43 metric tons of freight and 291-seat passenger capacity, plus an aeromedical-evacuation capability, Voyager also delivers flexibility in air mobility to the U.K. armed forces in support of military and humanitarian operations.

During the two days of the Sustainable Skies World Summit, the Jet Zero Council—a partnership between industry and government with the aim of delivering at least 10 percent SAF in the U.K. fuel mix by 2030 and zero-emission transatlantic flight within a generation—will also meet.

The Jet Zero Council is driving the ambitious delivery of new technologies and innovative ways to cut aviation emissions.

The SAF for the flight was sourced by International Airlines Group, and supplied by BP.