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In aerospace engineering, an aircraft's fuel fraction, fuel weight fraction,[1] or a spacecraft's propellant fraction, is the weight of the fuel or propellant divided by the gross take-off weight of the craft (including propellant):[2]
The fractional result of this mathematical division is often expressed as a percent. For aircraft with external drop tanks, the term internal fuel fraction is used to exclude the weight of external tanks and fuel.
Fuel fraction is a key parameter in determining an aircraft's range, the distance it can fly without refueling. Breguet’s aircraft range equation describes the relationship of range with airspeed, lift-to-drag ratio, specific fuel consumption, and the part of the total fuel fraction available for cruise, also known as the cruise fuel fraction, or cruise fuel weight fraction.[3]
In this context, the Breguet range is proportional to [math]\displaystyle{ -\ln(1-\ \zeta) }[/math]
At today’s state of the art for jet fighter aircraft, fuel fractions of 29 percent and below typically yield subcruisers; 33 percent provides a quasi–supercruiser; and 35 percent and above are needed for useful supercruising missions. The U.S. F-22 Raptor’s fuel fraction is 29 percent,[4] Eurofighter is 31 percent, both similar to those of the subcruising F-4 Phantom II, F-15 Eagle and the Russian Mikoyan MiG-29 "Fulcrum". The Russian supersonic interceptor, the Mikoyan MiG-31 "Foxhound", has a fuel fraction of over 45 percent.[5] The Panavia Tornado had a relatively low internal fuel fraction of 26 percent, and frequently carried drop tanks.[6]
Airliners have a fuel fraction of less than half their takeoff weight, between 26% for medium-haul to 45% for long-haul:
| Model | MTOW (t) | OEW (t) | OEW Fraction |
Fuel capacity (t) |
Fuel fraction |
Payload Max. (t) |
Payload fraction |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A380[7] | 575 | 285 | 49.6% | 254 | 44.2% | 84 | 14.6% |
| Boeing 777-300ER[8] | 351.5 | 167.8 | 47.7% | 145.5 | 41.4% | 69.9 | 19.9% |
| Boeing 777-200LR[8] | 347.5 | 145.2 | 41.8% | 145.5 | 41.9% | 64.0 | 18.4% |
| Airbus A350-1000[9] | 308 | 156 | 50.6% | 122.5 | 39.8% | 64 | 20.8% |
| Airbus A350-900[9] | 280 | 142.7 | 51% | 108.3 | 38.7% | 53 | 18.9% |
| Boeing 787-9[10] | 254 | 128.9 | 50.7% | 101.5 | 40% | 52.6 | 20.7% |
| Airbus A330-300[11] | 242 | 130 | 53.7% | 109.2 | 45.1% | 45 | 18.6% |
| Airbus A330-200[11] | 242 | 121 | 50% | 109.2 | 45.1% | 49 | 20.2% |
| Boeing 787-8[10] | 227.9 | 120 | 52.7% | 101.3 | 44.4% | 43.3 | 19% |
| Airbus A320ceo[12] | 79 | 44.3 | 56.1% | 23.3 | 29.5% | 20 | 25.3% |
| Boeing 737-800[13] | 79 | 41.4 | 52.4% | 20.9 | 26.5% | 21.3 | 27% |
| Bombardier CS300[14] | 67.6 | 37.1 | 54.9% | 17.2 | 25.5% | 18.7 | 27.7% |
| Bombardier CS100[14] | 60.8 | 35.2 | 57.9% | 17.6 | 29% | 15.1 | 24.9% |
The Concorde supersonic transport had a fuel fraction of 51%.
The Rutan Voyager took off on its 1986 around-the-world flight at 72 percent, the highest figure ever at the time.[15] Steve Fossett's Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer could attain a fuel fraction of nearly 85 percent, meaning that it carried more than five times its empty weight in fuel.[16]
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Categories: [Aerospace engineering]