On 21st and 22nd April 2025, a team meeting took place in Lecce, Italy, as part of the ongoing AVT NATO Support Programme.
The event brought together members of the collaborative project SP-AVT-011, titled “Exploring the Potential of Hydrogen as a Sustainable Jet Fuel”. This three-year initiative aims to evaluate the benefits of hydrogen co-combustion in aero engine applications. The project is being carried out jointly by two research teams: the Air Force Institute of Technology (ITWL), specifically Department Z-55, and teams from the University of Salento.
ITWL was represented by Lt. Col. Ph.D. Eng Tomasz Białecki, Head of Department Z-55, and Ph.D. Eng. Bartosz Gawron, Research Fellow. The Italian team was led by Prof. Eng. Maria Grazia De Giorgi.
During the meeting, participants reviewed the progress achieved to date. Highlights included a summary of the 2024 findings, particularly the modelling of conventional jet fuel combustion within the GTM140 microturbine. Discussions also focused on current research activities for 2025 — specifically, the investigation and modelling of combustion processes involving jet fuel blends with synthetic components, namely Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), using the same turbine platform.
The visit further reinforced the established collaboration between the two institutions, formalised through a current agreement and the ongoing SP-AVT-011 project.
