The US Navy celebrated Earth Day by showcasing a flight test of the Green Hornet

The US Navy celebrated Earth Day on April 22 by showcasing a flight test of the Green Hornet, an F/A-18 Super Hornet multirole fighter jet powered by a biofuel blend. The test at Naval Air Station Patuxent River drew a huge crowd. Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus, who has made the exploration and adoption of alternative fuels a priority for the Navy and Marine Corps, was also present.

The Green Hornet runs on a 50/50 blend of conventional jet fuel and a biofuel that comes from camelina, a hardy US-grown plant that can thrive even in difficult soil. The flight tests are part of an extensive test and evaluation process. The fuel’s chemical and physical properties were first analysed in the lab, followed by component and engine performance testing. The final approval and certification for the camelina-based biofuel could take an additional 6-9 months. The Earth Day flight test is one of the 15 planned test flights requiring approximately 23 flight-hours to complete, starting in mid-April 2010 and ending by mid-June 2010. The Earth Day flight lasted about 45 minutes.