Pentagon hopes to produce jet fuel by sucking it out of air: Report
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Small plants will create fuel for US military jets.
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Generated picture of potential US Jets fueled by small plants. (Reuters)
Small plants the size of cargo containers will be able to actually create fuel out of thin air at US military bases, according to reports.
The US Defense Department on Tuesday announced a $65Mln contract with a start-up called Air Company that makes fuel from carbon dioxide extracted from the atmosphere.
According to American media accounts, it is part of the Pentagon's efforts to create a decentralized aviation fuel supply chain that will enable future US military bases to generate their own fuel.
"These contracts allow you to focus on the growth of technology and the development of technology," Air Company chief executive Gregory Constantine said as quoted by media.
Fuel plants the size of cargo containers will supplement or even replace the long and explosive supply lines that currently route fuel to military bases, according to the business.
Leading airlines see such fuel as the main means of decarbonizing long-haul flights, which account for approximately 2.5 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.
#Americans who want to buy a used truck or fry some bacon and eggs for breakfast will have to pay way more than they did a year ago. As the long-term impacts of the #COVID19 pandemic continue to bear down on global supply networks. pic.twitter.com/skN2sIfMg1
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) October 24, 2021
Even the Pentagon made climate commitments last year, including reducing greenhouse gas emissions by half by 2030 and reaching "carbon neutrality" by 2050.
US President Joe Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act in August 2022, which extended tax breaks for buying electric cars assembled in the US and using batteries made with domestically created components.
The act was intended to encourage investment in these fields and reduce reliance on primarily Chinese technologies.
