For the primary time ever throughout a show, the RAF Crimson Arrows will gasoline their jets with Sustainable Aviation Gas at 2025’s Royal Worldwide Air Tattoo. The often diesel-fueled smoke pod will even swap to a biofuel based mostly on vegetable oil.
Sustainable Aviation Gas (SAF) has been trialed by the Royal Air Power since 2020, when the Ministry of Defence’s aviation gasoline requirements have been up to date to allow its use in defence plane. Blends of typical gasoline and SAF have since been used to fill Storm fighter plane, P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol plane, and C-130 transports (retired 2023) – together with supply via air to air refueling. A 100% sustainable gasoline flight befell in November 2022 utilising an A330 Voyager from RAF Brize Norton.
SAF can cut back the carbon emissions generated by an plane by round 80%. It’s produced from agricultural and industrial byproducts, together with waste cooking oils, animal fat, and even municipal strong waste. Whereas serving to to fulfil authorities and repair targets associated to combating local weather change, SAF additionally gives a strategy to cut back reliance on overseas provides of crude oil and common fossil gasoline merchandise. It’s designed to mix with typical gasoline to permit blended provides, easing logistical burdens, and supply the chance of a gradual introduction.
The Crimson Arrows’ deliberate full show powered by sustainable gasoline on the Royal Worldwide Air Tattoo (RIAT), the UK’s largest airshow, follows a profitable flypast performed over London in June utilizing a SAF mix.
We’re very excited to announce that the @rafredarrows are set to function a world-first at RIAT25 this 12 months, as their iconic show might be carried out on Sustainable Aviation Gas (SAF)! ✈️
Their performances throughout the weekend might be history-making for any nationwide aerobatic group,… pic.twitter.com/Jd0k99vRaT
— Royal Worldwide Air Tattoo (@airtattoo) July 9, 2025
Squadron Chief Andy King, Senior Engineering Officer for the Crimson Arrows group, mentioned “On the coronary heart of the Royal Worldwide Air Tattoo is a mission to encourage future generations of aviators – a aim shared by the Crimson Arrows.”
“This makes this 12 months’s Air Tattoo a perfect event to showcase the Crimson Arrows’ ground-breaking, world-leading transfer to extra sustainable fuels – powering a show that has the identical thrilling, entertaining and thrilling aerobatics and teamwork that has captivated thousands and thousands of lovers on the present throughout the many years.”
Three shows might be flown at RIAT utilizing sustainable gasoline, together with a variety of formation flypasts over the weekend. The Royal Air Power Storm show group will even use a SAF mix, mirroring their first use of the gasoline throughout final years’ show. At the moment, Air Vice-Marshal Shaun Harris remarked that “In addition to contributing to decreased carbon emissions as a part of the Defence Aviation Web Zero Technique, our means to make use of new fuels ensures that the Royal Air Power can proceed to function anyplace we’re wanted globally.”
At RIAT24, the Storm made historical past with its first public flight utilizing a mix of sustainable aviation gasoline! ⛽
What did you consider the show? 🤩 pic.twitter.com/kXfpcA9eYp
— Royal Worldwide Air Tattoo (@airtattoo) September 5, 2024
Along with utilizing SAF to energy the plane, the Crimson Arrows’ signature crimson, white, and blue smoke will even be generated utilizing sustainable Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) gasoline. This gasoline is carried in a pod beneath the groups’ Hawk T1 plane, and is injected into the engine exhaust via three small pipes. The moment vaporization of the gasoline creates a thick white smoke path – dye is added to 2 of the three tanks contained in the stomach pod to create the crimson and blue trails. Every plane can generate 5 minutes of white smoke, and one minute every of crimson and blue.
Making the smoke trails ‘inexperienced’ has been an purpose for the group since no less than 2022, as a part of the Royal Air Power’s general purpose to be a net-zero power by 2040. As said above, this technique is vital each from a local weather perspective in addition to from a nationwide safety one.
Sustainable fuels in different forces
The Royal Air Power just isn’t alone in searching for the growth in use of sustainable fuels. The U.S. Division of Protection has issued a variety of contracts searching for improvement work on this space, eyeing related objectives to the RAF in lowering reliance on singular gasoline sources. It’s moreover famous that SAF could possibly be a safer choice, capable of be produced at airfields themselves basically on demand and lowering the necessity for terribly susceptible gasoline transport vehicles.
Lockheed Martin cleared the F-35 Lightning II for artificial fuels in January of this 12 months, with Norway changing into the primary operator of the plane to make the most of the gasoline of their plane.
Lowering reliance on fossil fuels and making vitality use extra environment friendly is a win-win for NATO and the surroundings.
5⃣ methods #NATO is making its army camps sustainable. pic.twitter.com/vfqp1QBCmf
— NATO (@NATO) February 10, 2020
Industrial aviation can also be investing in sustainable fuels. Virgin Atlantic accomplished their first transatlantic flight with SAF in 2023, utilizing a Boeing 787 flying a routine service between London Heathrow Airport and New York John F. Kennedy Airport. The flight befell in cooperation with the UK Authorities and with help from plane and engine producers Boeing and Rolls-Royce.
Sustainable fuels are hoped to permit conventional plane engines to proceed in service for many years to come back with out impacting local weather change associated commitments. Different strategies of plane propulsion, for instance utilizing purely electrical energy, are actually in lively use however nonetheless not sensible on a bigger scale.
