Indian Air Force prepared for flight partially powered by bio-fuel on Republic Day

The Indian Air Force (IAF) flypast ceremony this Republic Day will include aircraft flying on biofuel extracted from jatropha plant seeds, the IAF said on Wednesday. The biofuel, which will be used by the An 32 aircrafts -- known in the Air Force as 'Sutlej' -- is developed by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the Indian Institute of Petroleum, Dehradun.

"India's quest to seek alternate sources of fuel towards reducing its dependence on crude oil will now be showcased by the... formation of An 32 aircraft flying in 'vic' formation. The lead aircraft of the formation, piloted by Squadron Leader Mehtab Sond of the Aircraft Systems Testing Establishment, is flying utilizing Aviation Turbine Fuel blended with 10 per cent biofuel," the IAF said in a statement. "IAF's initiative is in line with the Prime Minister's vision to reduce crude oil imports and dependency to the tune of 10 per cent by 2021," it added. The 'Vic' formation is a 'V' shaped formation in which one aircraft flying at the apex is flanked by one or more aircraft on either side diagonally. Antonov An-32 is a twin-engined turboprop military transport aircraft of Russian origin being used by the Indian Air Force since 1980s.

(With inputs from agencies.)