AVIANO AIR BASE, Italy – At Aviano Air Base’s 31st Fighter Wing, Airmen assigned to the 31st Logistics Readiness Squadron are continuing a legacy of advancement, not with a new aircraft or warship, but with a device that reshapes how the Air Force fuels the fight.
The 31st LRS operates one of the new Fluid Powered Additive Injector Carts in the Department of the Air Force, a system designed to expand fuel capabilities in austere environments and in locations where military-specification fuel is unavailable.
“In emergency scenarios when we are out in the field and the fuel supply has run out, we can use another country’s fuel with the FPAIC,” said U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Dylan Larsen, 31st LRS fuels equipment maintenance supervisor. “Even if their fuel isn’t compatible with our aircraft, it allows us to mix in additives that match everything to our specifications.”
The ability to mix additives to jet fuel and fill up aircraft in any location makes the FPAIC a remarkable tool.
“Earlier this year, we had the chance to put FPAIC into action for the first time,” said U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Gunner King, 31st LRS fuels distribution supervisor. “We were able to alter fuel with a Fuels System Icing Inhibitor, which prevents it from freezing at higher altitudes.”
Other additives the FPAIC utilizes are the Static Dissipating Additive, which lowers the static of the fuel and the chance of combustion for refueling. It also uses the Corrosion Inhibitor/Lubricity Improver, a substance that prevents fuel from corroding steel surfaces in a turbine engine. In total, Larsen and King solely altered over 1.5 million gallons of jet fuels, enabling 10 Boeing KC-135 Stratotankers to propel over 195 in-flight refuels to generate 610 sorties.
Through their efforts, Larsen and King showcased that the 31st FW can not only generate combat air power at home base, but also across the entire globe.