A startup announced Tuesday it has begun making equipment for the Pentagon to manufacture sustainable aviation fuel for drones and manned vehicles, potentially lowering the risks of transporting oil in war zones.
AirCo’s mobile units are designed to fit into shipping containers and would produce hundreds or thousands of gallons of synthetic fuel a month for use in military aircraft, boats or ground vehicles, CEO and co-founder Gregory Constantine said in an interview. The units could be transported to bases around the globe beginning next year, alleviating the need for vulnerable convoys of petroleum-based fuels.
The Brooklyn-based startup has “developed a new facility in Pennsylvania that will be the manufacturing hub for these containerized solutions,” Constantine said, adding that the plant is “fully operational.”
The announcement comes amid turmoil in oil markets as the U.S. and Israel expand bombing targets in Iran to include some energy facilities and as oil tanker traffic has ground to a near-halt in the Strait of Hormuz since the war began 11 days ago. The unrest underscores the role that sustainable aviation fuel, or SAF, could play during periods of volatility in oil markets, beyond its potential environmental benefits.
