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Preface
At the request of the U.S. Air Force, and in light of greatly increased
government emphasis on the need for greater fuel efficiency in the fleet of
military aircraft, the National Research Council (NRC) was asked to study
whether business cases could be made for modifying engines or re-engining
large Air Force aircraft. The Committee on Analysis of Air Force Engine
Efficiency Improvement Options for Large Non-fighter Aircraft was formed
and its report was provided to the Air Force on January 31, 2007.
While that study was under way, congressional interest in fuel efficiency
increased, resulting in the inclusion of the following language in Report
109-452 of the House Armed Services Committee on H.R. 5122 (National
Defense Authorization Act for FY07):
The committee commends the Air Force in its efforts to increase aircraft
fuel efficiency and decrease fuel consumption. The committee notes that
initiatives such as re-engining aircraft, modifying in-flight profiles, and revising
aircraft ground operations contribute to decreased fuel consumption and
increased life-cycle savings.
The committee is aware that winglet technology exists for aircraft to
increase fuel efficiency, improve take-off performance, increase cruise altitudes,
and increase payload and range capability. The committee notes that
winglets are currently used on commercial aircraft and result in a five to seven
percent increase in fuel efficiency. On September 16, 1981, the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration released the KC-135 Winglet Program
Review on the incorporation of winglets for KC-135 aerial refueling aircraft.
However, the Air Force concluded that the cost of adding winglets to the
KC-135 did not provide sufficient payback in fuel savings or increased range
to justify modification. Although the Air Force did conclude that modifying
aircraft with winglets could increase fuel efficiency, the Air Force determined
that re-engining the KC-135 aircraft produced a greater return on investment.
The committee believes that incorporating winglets on military aircraft could
increase fuel efficiency on certain platforms and that the Air Force should
reexamine incorporating this technology onto its platforms.
Therefore, the committee directs the Secretary of the Air Force to provide
a report to the congressional defense committees by March 1, 2007, examining
the feasibility of modifying Air Force aircraft with winglets. The report
shall include a cost comparison analysis of the cost of winglet modification
compared to the return on investment realized over time for each airlift, aerial
refueling, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance aircraft in the
Air Force inventory; the market price of aviation fuel at which incorporating
winglets would be beneficial for each Air Force platform; all positive and
negative impacts to aircraft maintenance and flight operations; and investment
strategies the Air Force could implement with commercial partners to
minimize Air Force capital investment and maximize investment return.
In response to a subsequent request from the Air Force, the NRC
appointed the Committee on Assessment of Aircraft Winglets for Large
Aircraft Fuel Efficiency to examine the feasibility of modifying Air Force aircraft
with winglets. Since this study is a follow-on effort to the earlier study
examining methods to improve fuel efficiency in large Air Force aircraft,
appropriate members of the original study committee, including the chair
and vice chair, agreed to participate in this study. They were joined by new
members with the expertise to address the necessary technical areas. This
report responds to the request of Congress as outlined above.
The chair thanks the members of the committee for generously taking
time from their demanding schedules and working hard to complete this
report in the short time allotted. The entire committee, in turn, thanks the
many organizations and the guest speakers who provided excellent briefings
and background information, and it thanks the NRC staff members
who supported the study. Primary among them were Marta Vornbrock,
Gregory Eyring, Jim Garcia, Michael Clarke, LaShawn Sidbury, and Detra
Bodrick-Shorter.
Kenneth E. Eickmann, Chair
Committee on Assessment of Aircraft Winglets
for Large Aircraft Fuel Efficiency |
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