Swiss air force sets 50% sustainable fuel goal

Swiss military jets are expected to help contribute to net-zero greenhouse gas emission goals. Keystone / Anthony Anex

The Swiss air force has set itself the goal of using 50% sustainable fuels to power military jets.  

On Wednesday, a trial was carried out on a Cessna 560 XL Citation Excel jet which was tanked with a fuel mixture containing one third sustainable additives.

The Federal Office for Civil Aviation (FOCA) told Keystone-SDA that the fuel mixture contains less sulphur, fewer hydrocarbons and emits around 35% less C02.

The sustainable fuel is made from organic waste such as used cooking oil and animal fats.

“The goal is net-zero [greenhouse gas emissions] by 2050. For the Swiss air force, this means that we increase the proportion of sustainable fuel as much as possible in the next few years,” said an army spokesperson.

In the long run, this means fuelling military jets from 50% sustainable sources.

Scientists from the Zurich University of Applied Sciences and the Paul Scherrer Institute measured the Cessna’s performance during the trials.

The Swiss government has set a national target of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.