France conducts SAF test flight

The test flight was conducted by the French procurement agency using an NHIndustries NH90 twin-engine helicopter on 3 February, at the DGA flight centre in Istres. During the test, one of the aircraft’s two RTM322 engines was run entirely on SAF.

It follows the completion of a bench test in December 2022 at Safran’s Bordes facility, which validated the use of this fuel type on the RTM322.

The SAF was produced by TotalEnergies using hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids (HEFA) technology – HEFA is also sometimes known as hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO). The resulting fuel has a carbon footprint approximately four times smaller than that of an equivalent fossil fuel – enabling it to meet the European Union’s 65 per cent abatement requirement for sustainable fuels.

“This is an important step in our roadmap for the large-scale deployment of SAF, which will kick-start a decarbonization process within the armed forces to gradually reduce the use of fossil fuels,” said Christian Caneilles, Head of Heavy Helicopter Engines at Safran Helicopter Engines.

Safran is currently working to certify the operation of its aircraft at 100 per cent SAF, while assessing any operational impact with its partners and customers. Its turbine range is already certified to run on 50 per cent SAF. Once 100 per cent SAF usage is certified, the fuel is expected to offer a potential reduction in CO2 emissions of 80 per cent compared with traditional aviation fuel.