WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio -- The Air Force Petroleum office provides global petroleum and aerospace energy management, technical expertise, and logistics capabilities to active, Guard and Reserve Air Force fuels-management teams worldwide.
Headquartered at Ft. Belvoir, Virginia, with Defense Logistics Agency Energy, the AFPET provides Air Force leaders with comprehensive fuel-related information, services, and technical expertise.
The infrastructure team manages fuels military construction at 209 facilities and oversees $150 million of fuel system sustainment, repair, and modernization each year. Inventory management of two billion gallons of jet fuel annually, and the equipment required to handle it, is handled by the Operations Directorate, according to Ben Curtis, director, Product Support Directorate.
The AFPET operates six laboratories worldwide with the largest located at Wright-Patt. The other laboratories are located at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California; Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida; RAF Mildenhall, England; Kadena Air Base, Japan, and a deployed laboratory in Southwest Asia.
“In addition to the analysis of jet and ground fuel, oils, hydraulic fluids, chemicals, propellants, greases, and gasses, the AFPET develops military specifications governing these products and writes the technical orders for their safe handling and storage. The AFPET develops and implements International Standardization Agreements with our allies on aerospace products. Our close proximity to the program offices and research labs allows us to develop new products and solve weapon system issues,” said Curtis.
Also located at Wright-Patterson is the AFPET Technical Assistance Division. This rapid response team provides emergency capability to respond anywhere in the world to investigate, identify, and resolve issues involving fuel quality, cryogenic gasses, or fuels-handling infrastructure. The team works with private industry to develop, evaluate, and deploy new technologies to provide real time field level fuel quality monitoring.
As the AF Service Control Point for all Defense Logistics Agency fuel-related support issues, AFPET provides a full range of technical and professional services for all aerospace vehicles, systems, and equipment.
“Our laboratories at Cape Canaveral and Vandenberg enable our country’s space launch program through the testing of the propellants and gasses used on the rockets. The labs also analyze for contaminants and particles that could potentially interfere with satellite operations,” said Curtis.
The AFPET works closely with private industry, governmental agencies, other military services, and the NATO and Air & Space Interoperability Council allies as well as all levels of organizational structure within the Air Force to ensure interoperability and collaboration on the latest technologies available to ensure fuel quality and distribution.
The AFPET has a 24-hour operations center to ensure responsiveness to all the people they serve worldwide. They can be contacted at DSN 427-8705 or Commercial 703-767-8705.