WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, OHIO (AFRL) – The Air Force Research Laboratory, or AFRL, launched a multimillion-dollar, multiyear program with BioMADE, Farmed Materials, and The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company in 2022 to develop a domestic source of natural rubber from a specific species of dandelion.
Natural rubber is a crucial element in the Department of the Air Force’s production of aircraft tires. The Materials and Manufacturing Directorate’s Manufacturing and Industrial Technologies Division paired up with BioMADE, Farmed Materials, and Goodyear to plant and harvest Kok-saghyz, a species of dandelion commonly known as TK, as a viable domestic source of natural rubber. Natural rubber can be extracted from this species of dandelion after crushing its roots.