Air Force signs $65M deal with ‘sustainable’ fuel startup

New York based firm Air Company have announced that they have been given a contract from the Department of Defense Innovation Unit and the U.S. Air Force to provide them with their AIRMADE “sustainable” aviation fuel. 

“This will enable the production of on-site fuel, reducing emissions [and] offering a safe fuel source,” the company said on Twitter.

The $65 million deal for testing production comes following Air Company CEO Gregory Constantine’s announcement to Axios that action was taken following a successful jet test flight last year which operated solely on unblended sustainable aviation fuel.

The contract will put Air Company to the test on whether they can make this fuel in remote locations.  The contract has also stipulated several milestones which are related to the number of gallons Air Company will produce.

Air Company produces their sustainable aviation fuel from carbon dioxide pulled from the atmosphere. The company also convert carbon into perfume and hand sanitizer.

“The contract is tiered out over the next several years,” a spokesperson told TechCrunch, noting that Air Company aims to work with the Air Force to produce “tens of hundreds of gallons,” and later “tens of thousands of gallons,” of jet fuel.

Air Company note on their website that they use renewable electricity to produce their fuel, which the Air Force Research Laboratory said was “net carbon neutral” in a November press release.

In the past, The Air Force’s Project Fierce partnered with the laboratory, Air Company and the Hsu Education Foundation to create and test a fully synthetic “drop-in” replacement jet fuel from captured carbon dioxide and water. The unmanned flight test team at the Hsu Educational Foundation executed the first flight demonstration with the synthetic jet fuel.