French Military NH90 Helicopter Flown On Sustainable Aviation Fuel

French Military NH90 Helicopter Flown on 100% SAF

A French NH90 military helicopter has made its first flight running one engine on 100 percent sustainable aviation fuel.

French Military NH90 Helicopter in flight — A French NH90 military helicopter has made its first flight running one engine on 100 percent sustainable aviation fuel. (Photo: French Direction Générale de l’Armement)

By Mark Huber • Contributor

February 10, 2023

France’s Direction Générale de l’Armement (DGA) has made the first test flight of an NH90 helicopter with sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). During the February 3 flight from the DGA test center at Essais en vol in Istres, one of the helicopter’s two RTM322 engines was run on 100 percent SAF.

The flight was made without any engine modification and the fuel was previously validated during bench testing of an RTM322 in December at Safran Helicopter Engine’s Bordes facility. Safran Helicopter Engines is working to certify operations with 100 percent SAF while assessing any operational impact amongst its partners and customers. Using 100 percent SAF offers a potential CO2 reduction of 80 percent. The company’s turbine range is currently certified to run on 50 percent SAF.

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