Boeing Defense, Space and Security said Friday it was investing significantly in technology that would allow its fighters and other military aircraft to run on green fuel.
Dennis Muilenburg, the company's president and chief executive, said the recent successful flight of an F/A-18 Super Hornet jet using a 50/50 biofuel mix augured well for the future of clean energy in the defence industry.
"From the pilot's feedback, he couldn't tell the difference between running on the 50/50 biofuel (blend) and the standard aviation fuel," he told reporters in Singapore, where he was attending a security forum.
He said the test in April was the "first supersonic flight" on a 50/50 biofuel mix.
"Our defence customers have expressed a lot of interest in how to manage future fuel costs and also look at biofuels as an environmental option," Muilenberg said.
"We're investing significantly to make sure that our products can operate on those kinds of biofuels."
He said he expects that someday, "you'll begin to see fleets being converted over to biofuel mix."
"That's something that will be a long term investment and right now we are supporting our (US defence department) customer as they think through how you would make that transition."
He said however it would be a "long-term, multi-decade investment."
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