A new way of doing fuel

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. Abigail Wise
  • 436th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  Leading from the front with one of the Air Force's newest initiative is the 436th Logistics Readiness Squadron's fuels management flight.

The 436th LRS passed out the last of their military-specific jet fuel, JP-8 and began giving out commercial-grade jet fuel, Jet A Nov. 13.

Prior to this switch being possible, 436th LRS had to make some necessary changes to current equipment, to include all the labeling on the 18 fuel trucks and the stenciling on the piping, said Senior Airman Brandon Ancil, 436th LRS fuels distribution operator.

This change came as the result of an Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century initiative, in conjunction with the Defense Energy Support Center and the Air Force Petroleum Agency in an effort to save on energy costs.

Fuel costs are 84 percent of the Air Force's energy costs and with a nearly $8 billion annual bill, fuel costs are an easy target for cost-cutting measures. The conversion from the current JP-8 to Jet A is projected to save the Air Force more than $40 million annually, partly from reduced logistical costs and partly from increased competition among Jet A vendors, said 1st Lieutenant Marcus McWilliams, 436th LRS fuels management flight commander.

Because the U.S. military is the only customer for JP-8, it is specially produced in relatively limited quantities compared to Jet A. It also has to be stored and shipped separately from Jet A, resulting in cost increase, said the lieutenant.

Jet A is the standard jet fuel used at commercial airports across the country. It is very similar to JP-8 and is officially listed as an "alternate fuel" for the majority of aircraft in the Air Force fleet.

"The idea is to make the transition as transparent as possible to all parties involved. Neither the air crews nor the maintainers that keep the aircraft flying should notice any operational difference between the two fuels," said the lieutenant.

Dover Air Force Base is one of four bases involved in Phase 1 of the conversion plan, which includes one C-5, one C-17, and two C-130 bases. These are Dover AFB, McChord Air Force Base, Wash., Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark., and Minneapolis-St. Paul Air Reserve Station, Minn. Each base will convert to Jet A for a full-scale test and evaluation.

"I'm excited that we're one of the first bases to get to do this," said Staff Sgt. Christopher Hunsiker, 512th Logistics Readiness Flight, fuels distribution supervisor. "My father was around for the change from JP-4 to JP-8 and now I'm helping with the change from JP-8 to Jet A."