Air Force devoting S&T funds to engine technology.

• Author: Versprille, Allyson
• Position: Global Defence

* In an effort to increase fuel efficiency, the Air Force Research Laboratory is investing significant science and technology funding toward propulsion technology, said a service official.

"A good deal of the S&T portfolio that's looking at optimizing our use of energy while still providing the same capability or ... additional capability is in propulsion," said Leslie Perkins, the director of AFRL's energy office. "Propulsion is our biggest investment in the S&T portfolio because ... when we get this into the aircraft, we will see a noticeable difference--buying more sorties with the same amount of fuel; buying greater range with the same amount of fuel."

Currently, the laboratory is working on developing an adaptive third-stream engine that can provide 25 percent fuel efficiency across all levels of throttle--sonic, supersonic and subsonic, Perkins said. That percentage of efficiency translates into 35 percent greater range for the aircraft, a 10 percent increase in thrust and additional thermal capacity. The engine would also greatly reduce tanker dependency and provide up to three times more target coverage in anti-access/area denial environments, according to an AFRL document.

The capability was originally part of the adaptive versatile engine technology program, an S&T effort that validated the aerodynamics and the mechanics of what goes into an adaptive third-stream engine, Perkins said. In 2012 it transitioned...