scope:

This handbook is for guidance only and cannot be cited as a requirement.

This military handbook documents a lean, knowledge-based process to evaluate, approve, and certify fuels and fuel additives for use in military aviation-fuel using and handling equipment. This document was developed to fill the knowledge and experience gaps that currently exist when considering all aspects of the military enterprise related to fuels in a single integrated and cost effective manner instead of a system by system evaluation. This document defines an approach and process to assure that a candidate fuel is suitable for aviation, support equipment and vehicles, interchangeable in the logistics infrastructure, and meets military standards related to the environment, safety and health. Any new fuel or fuel additive will be compared to a baseline (e.g., JP-8 for kerosene fuels) in terms of safety of operation, performance, durability, survivability, material compatibility, environmental impact, safety and health. A streamlined process, specifically aimed at certifying fuels that are "drop-in" (functionally interchangeable and fully mixable) relative to the baseline, is described in Appendix N. Any new fuel found to be suitable might be listed specifically in technical orders like TO 42B-1-1-14 with a reference to the pertinent fuel specification, or an allowance may be made for this fuel in terms of specific requirements in a fuel specification like MIL-DTL-83133, the specification for JP-8. Any new fuel additive found to be suitable might be added to an already-existing Qualified Products List (QPL) for that particular type of additive or might be listed specifically in revisions to fuel specifications like MIL-DTL-83133.

While this handbook is intended primarily for certification of military aviation fuels and additives, there are situations in which the airworthiness and military functionality of some military systems may be negatively affected when using commercial jet fuel. Changes in the commercial specifications, like the addition of alternative fuel types not evaluated as a part of military fuel certification, may produce unknown risks to some military systems. Appendix O, "Evaluation of Commercial Fuel Specification Changes," describes a process to reduce those risks to an acceptable level.

intended Use:

This handbook provides guidance on the certification of alternative fuels, fuel alternates, and fuel additives.