Sustainability Column ─ Royal Air Force and their sustainability journey
- 30th Apr 2025
Four years ago, the Royal Air Force (RAF) took a proactive stance towards addressing climate change by establishing a dedicated team to assist with identifying climate risks, the necessary mitigations to ensure climate and energy resilience as well as security, whilst maintaining operational continuity in an increasingly changing military Air and Space power operating landscape.
Recognising the pressing need to reduce global aviation carbon emissions and to derisk the global transition away from fossil fuels, the RAF views the adoption of low and zero carbon fuels as an imperative part of this journey.
Whilst using less fossil fuels has a positive environmental and climate change benefit; the primary military aviation advantage is to ensure operational viability in a world where traditional fossil fuels are becoming increasingly scarce and cost prohibitive. This move is crucial for maintaining interoperability with global allies who are likewise transitioning to more sustainable energy sources.
With this in mind, and aviation-related emissions contributing significantly to the Ministry of Defence's operational emissions, the RAF sees the adoption of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) and synthetic fuels (e-fuels), as an essential part of this transition.
In advance of the introduction of the Department for Transport's SAF mandate, which now requires a 2% SAF inclusion in aviation fuel (increasing year on year with a target of 10% by 2030), the RAF conducted several high-profile trials to advance SAF usage, testing supply chain availability, logistics, handling and performance.
Collaborative ventures with industry partners have yielded significant milestones, such as the test flight of a UK Military Voyager Aircraft powered entirely by SAF in November 2022 and Air-to-Air refuelling with high blend SAF. Continuing its leadership in this area, this was followed in 2024 by the business-as-usual use of a 35% SAF blend in routine operations from RAF Lossiemouth, and of note, the Typhoon Display on a blend of 35% SAF at RIAT, a global first.
In addition, e-fuel initiatives like "Project Martin" and "Project Vermeer" have showcased the RAF's pioneering spirit, including achieving a Guinness World Record for the first flight of a fully synthetically fuelled aircraft and successfully operating a drone using synthetic kerosene derived from sustainable sources like food waste. Moreover, the RAF continues to look at other sustainable solutions such as the use of electric and low emission propulsion aircraft for training purposes.
Just some examples of how, through its exemplar leadership and commitment to sustainability and innovation, the RAF is striving to contribute to environmental emissions reduction whilst adapting to the increasingly volatile climatic and geopolitical tensions it faces today to ensure it can continue to deliver essential Defence outputs.
