Skip to main content (Press Enter).
 News
    
        Photos

    Week in Photos

    Air Force TV

    Commentaries

    Features

    Art

    About Us
    
        Air Force Senior Leaders
    
        SECAF

    CSAF

    CMSAF

    Biographies

    Fact Sheets

    SECAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library
    
        CSAF Leadership Library 2022

    CSAF Leadership Library 2021

    CSAF Reading List Pre-2020 Archive
    
        2018 CSAF Reading List

    2017 CSAF Reading List

    2016 CSAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library 2023

    CMSAF Leadership Library

    50 Years of the CMSAF

    Adjunct Professors

    Air Force Strategic Documents

    Arctic Strategy

    Empowered Airmen

    State Licensure Portability

    Careers

    AF Federal Advisory Committees

    AF 75th Anniversary

    Policy Updates

    AF Content Management

    Contact Us

    AF Sites
    
        Site RegistrationU.S. Air Force LogoAir Force

        Policy UpdatesNewsroomReoptimizationBIOGRAPHIESAF Senior Leaders      181212-F-CO419-1002.JPGHow the Air Force got smarter about its aviation fuel use in 2018
                        
                        
                        Master Sgt. Moe Shivers, a 914th Operations Support Squadron boom operator at Niagara Air Reserve Station, N.Y., refuels an A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft over Avon Park, Fla., Jan. 30, 2018. The A-10s, assigned to the 122nd Fighter Wing, Fort Wayne Air National Guard Station, Ind., conducted Operation Guardian Blitz, which includes training in close air support, forward air control and combat search and rescue. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Adam R. Shanks)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res

How the Air Force got smarter about its aviation fuel use in 2018Published Dec. 12, 2018
                    
                    By Corrie Poland
                    
                    
                    Air Force Operational Energy (SAF/IEN)
            **ARLINGTON, Va. (AFNS)** -- Did you know the Air Force is the largest consumer of fuel in the Department of Defense? This may not surprise you, if say, you’ve ever watched a sortie of F-35s complete an aerial refueling, or witnessed a C-5 lift (seemingly) effortlessly into the sky. In fact, the Air Force consumes approximately 2 billion gallons of aviation fuel annually – which is about 81 percent of the total Air Force energy budget (with about 17 percent used for facilities and 2 percent for ground vehicles).
Operational energy, or aviation fuel, is critical to mission success – but getting fuel to the warfighter involves complex logistical and technical challenges, intricate planning, and more importantly, poses safety risks to the troops transporting it. As the battlefield becomes increasingly multifaceted, energy resilience is a top concern for the Air Force, and optimized operations are an essential component to maintaining it.
Air Force Operational Energy (SAF/IEN), headquartered at the Pentagon, is dedicated to championing energy-informed solutions that increase combat capability across the Air Force. The office is made up of subject matter experts in aviation, aeronautics, fuel logistics, data research, acquisitions, maintenance, and strategic engagement who look for ways to increase efficiency through new technologies, data solutions, and innovative process improvements.
In the past year, the office saw success in a number of areas. Here are just a few ways they’ve helped the Air Force get smarter about operational energy in 2018:
**Established a fuel data collection strategy across the force to pinpoint inefficiencies and analyze consumption trends**
Fuel data is crucial to identifying and understanding operational inefficiencies in the Force. By collecting and analyzing fuel data from across all aircraft, the Air Force can measure its effectiveness, enable data-driven decisions, and better target opportunities to improve operations that deliver competitive advantages against adversaries.
Historically however, the Air Force has not captured and retained sufficient aviation fuel data to accurately evaluate its operations. At the end of 2017, only about 30 percent of Air Force fuel use was captured in a sortie-level database.
In 2018, Air Force Operational Energy drafted the Operational Energy Data Collection Strategy to lay the foundation for collecting and storing aviation fuel use and associated mission execution data. The purpose of the Strategy is to set the Air Force on a course to collect aviation fuel data that is comprehensive, automated, high-resolution, and accurate. Implementing the Strategy will inform operations, support a resilient and innovative Air Force, and integrate aviation fuel data collection into a wider data and IT strategy across the Air Force and Department of Defense.**Incorporated operational energy into wargaming**
Operational energy challenges and solutions are now an active part of Air Force wargaming due to an Air Force Operational Energy initiative. In 2017, the office became involved in the planning and development of the Air Force’s Title 10 Wargame series, which led to their active role in Global Engagement 2018, Global Mobility/Agile Combat Support 2018, Long Duration Logistics Wargame 2018, and Futures Game 2019.
The office’s participation – along with support from aligned organizations such as Naval Postgraduate School, Headquarters Air Force Logistics (A4) and Plans (A5), Air Force Petroleum Office (AFPET), Defense Logistics Agency - Energy, Office of the Secretary of Defense for Operational Energy, and industry partners – enabled unprecedented incorporation of the fuel supply chain (from refinery to aerial tanker) into the 2018 wargaming campaign and highlighted the key role operational energy plays for combat operations at bases and beyond.
Ultimately, their goal is to facilitate better understanding of logistical challenges and to drive energy-informed leadership decisions in wargaming - and ultimately in basing strategy and investment priorities.**Identified efficiency best practices for C-17A fleet**
Air Force Operational Energy, in coordination with Air Mobility Command (AMC), tasked the Energy Analysis Task Force (EATF) to complete a Line Operations Efficiency Analysis (LOEA) on the C-17A fleet, one of the DoD’s largest consumers of aviation fuel.
To accomplish the LOEA, the EATF interviewed Airmen at Joint Base (JB) Charleston, JB Lewis-McChord, JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (AFB) from April to September 2018. After reviewing flight manuals and operational guidance materials, surveying crew members to understand C-17 energy efficiency techniques and mindsets, and soliciting ideas from crew members and leaders, the EATF published an official report, distributed to Air Force senior leaders at the end of 2018, outlining the following:
- Efficiency best practices for C-17A operations
- Operational fuel efficiency assessments for the C-17A and recommendations on efficiency opportunities across the fleet
- A reference point for aviation energy awareness and culture in the C-17A community
- The EATF is scheduled to complete the next Line Operations Efficiency Analysis on the KC-135 fleet in 2019.**Inserted operational energy lesson plans into Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) programs**
In 2018, Air Force Operational Energy funded the development of two graduate courses at the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT), Department of Systems Engineering and Management. The two courses, Aviation Energy Systems Engineering and Contingency Base Energy Systems Engineering, will be offered for the first time in the spring of 2019. The collaborative effort to develop these courses has ensured that operational energy is at the center of lectures and research efforts, and is a significant step toward the office’s goal of educating the Force and building an operational energy-aware culture.**Introduced light-weight parts into operations to reduce aircraft weight**
Aircraft weight is a key aspect of fuel burn, so the heavier the aircraft, the more fuel it takes to fly it. Air Force Operational Energy is exploring a number of avenues to reduce weight, and therefore fuel burn, on aircraft.
In 2018, the office initiated a project to replace heavy metal chains with lightweight synthetic tiedowns and winch cables on the C-17, reducing aircraft weight by approximately 1,000 pounds per aircraft. The synthetic cables and tiedowns are just as strong as the metal chains they are replacing, far easier to handle (reducing load time and workload), while also being safer for Airmen as they are less likely to recoil dangerously. The cable is now cataloged as a part number and has transitioned to fleet use, while the tiedowns are in the final phases of development before fielding.
Another Air Force Operational Energy project has worked to replace legacy aluminum honeycomb air inlets with lightweight composite RAM Air Inlet system for the C-5M Super Galaxy, which are 19 percent lighter and cost almost $100,000 less per part to manufacture. The composite parts have met all tests for strength and durability, and have a greater corrosion resistance, increasing part life and aircraft availability while reducing maintenance costs. The new inlets have transitioned to operational use and will replace the aluminum parts on an attrition basis.**Updated max range airspeed policy, resulting in optimized operations**
Due to an optimization initiative led by Air Force Operational Energy, policy has been put into place that directs planners to plan airspeeds for 5th generation fighter Coronet missions at closer to maximum range airspeed. The faster speed decreases overall fuel consumption by about 6 percent, and reduces flight hours by about 10 percent.  After a successful demonstration with F-22s at the end 2017, the office continued working with ACC and AMC in 2018 to formalize the procedures and expanded them to include the F-35.
Read the full story here.
Air Force Operational Energy seeks to connect Airmen with technology, data, and innovative thinking to develop and champion energy-informed solutions across the Air Force. For more information and news visit: www.safie.hq.af.mil/OpEnergy/, www.Twitter.com/AFEnergy, and www.Facebook.com/AirForceEnergy.energy 



resilience 



readiness 



Aircraft 



aviation fuel 



efficient energy 



fuel 



aircraft operations 



C-17 



Air Force Institute of Technology 



C-5 Galaxy 



Air Force 



Air Force Operational Energy 



Aviation 



aeronautics 



fuel logistics 



data research 



acquisitions 



maintenance 



strategic engagement 



fuel data 



Operational Energy initiative 



Global Engagement 



Global Mobility/Agile Combat Support 



Long Duration Logistics Wargame 



Futures Game

Related Links
        NATO focuses on big data and artificial intelligence
                                June 12, 2018
                                Members of the scientific and military communities from approximately 20 NATO countries came together to discuss leading developments in big data and artificial intelligence (AI) at the NATO Science and Technology Organization’s specialists meeting, Big Data and Artificial Intelligence for Military
            
            Dover helps AFRL make C-17s safer, lighter, more fuel efficient
                                Feb. 9, 2018
                                The Air Force Research Laboratory’s Advanced Power Technology Office (APTO), Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, collaborated with Dover Air Force Base and private companies on programs to make the entire C-17 Globemaster III fleet lighter, safer and more fuel efficient for the future at Dover
            
            Data enables the Air Force to ‘fuel more fight’
                                Feb. 12, 2018
                                Data collection and analysis have been critical to maintaining the effectiveness and lethality of the Air Force for decades, and are more important than ever in the age of big data, machine learning, and the complex challenges of the 21st century. For Air Force Operational Energy, championing data
            
            Innovating compressor blade inspection
                                April 30, 2018
                                Blade defects decrease engine efficiency and power, while increasing fuel burn (specific fuel consumption) and exhaust gas temperature (EGT) - resulting in higher maintenance costs, and decreased aircraft availability.  Additionally, defective compressor blades can pose a safety threat if not
            
            Air Force helps incorporate operational energy into wargaming
                                Aug. 28, 2018
                                Some insights drawn from the fast paced, short duration Global Engagement 2018 Capstone Event, which took place at Schofield Barracks in July, are likely to have near-term, tactical-level impacts that may improve Air Force’s airbase resiliency efforts. Following its completion, Air Force Operational
            
            Demonstration results in policy update and optimized operations
                                Oct. 2, 2018
                                Thanks to an optimization initiative led by Air Force Operational Energy (SAF/IEN), F-35 and F-22 fighter sorties are now requested to fly closer to the fighters' maximum range airspeed, while still within tanker boom limits, during Coronet missions. The faster speed decreases overall fuel
            
            DoD joins NATO partners to discuss future of military energy resilience
                                Nov. 26, 2018
                                As part of Innovative Energy Solutions for Military Application (IESMA) 2018, a collaborative symposium led by the NATO Energy Security Centre of Excellence, international experts from the energy and defense communities came together to discuss leading developments in energy resilience and security. Featured News
        Senior Leader Priorities
                DAF leaders talk budget, reoptimizing the force
                    
                    DAF leaders speak at National Character and Leadership Symposium
                    
                    DAF members recognized during BEYA STEM awards
                    
                    DAF senior enlisted advisors discuss Airmen, Guardians in the fight
                    
                    SecAF Kendall AFA Warfare Symposium Q&A: Reoptimizing for Great Power CompetitionInnovation
                AFWERX director discusses role of tech startups, quick innovation in Great Power Competition
                    
                    DAF delivers lethality at the speed of data during Project Convergence Capstone 4
                    
                    DAF welcomes industry partners to HQ development program
                    
                    DAF announces Spark Tank 2024 finalists
                    
                    Chief Digital, Artificial Intelligence Office to host hackathon in HawaiiMAJCOM News
                Air Combat Command welcomes new commander
                    
                    USAFE-AFAFRICA commander discusses Integrated Air, Missile Defense during Munich Security Conference
                    
                    Flosi to AFMC family: Embrace change, make every day count
                    
                    AMC rises to increasing global tension
                    
                    USAFE-AFAFRICA commander emphasizes five focus areas during AFA Warfare Symposium
 Quick Links
AccessibilityContact UsEqual OpportunityFOIA | Privacy | Section 508Information QualityInspector GeneralJAG Court-Martial DocketLink DisclaimerNo FEAR ActOpen GovernmentOSI Tip LinePlain LanguageQuestionsResilienceRSSSite MapVeterans Crisis LineCareers
Join the Air ForceAir Force BenefitsAir Force CareersAir Force ReserveAir National GuardCivilian ServiceConnect
            Get Social with Us
            
            Official United States Air Force Website
    Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil