The Armstrong Siddeley Snarler was a small rocket engine used for
mixed-power experiments with an early turbojet engine.
and was the first British liquid-fuelled rocket engine to fly.
Design and development
Unlike other British rocket engine projects that used
hydrogen peroxide
Hydrogen peroxide is a chemical compound with the formula . In its pure form, it is a very pale blue liquid that is slightly more viscous than water. It is used as an oxidizer, bleaching agent, and antiseptic, usually as a dilute solution (3%†...
as an
oxidiser
An oxidizing agent (also known as an oxidant, oxidizer, electron recipient, or electron acceptor) is a substance in a redox chemical reaction that gains or " accepts"/"receives" an electron from a (called the , , or ). In other words, an oxi ...
, Armstrong Siddeley's used
liquid oxygen
Liquid oxygen—abbreviated LOx, LOX or Lox in the aerospace, submarine and gas industries—is the liquid form of molecular oxygen. It was used as the oxidizer in the first liquid-fueled rocket invented in 1926 by Robert H. Goddard, an applica ...
. The rocket engine is described as having a dry weight of thrust of and a
specific fuel consumption of 20 (lb/h)/lbf thrust.
[ Work began in 1947 and the final configuration was first tested on 29 March 1950.][
The prototype of the Hawker P.1040 Sea Hawk, ''VP 401'', had a Snarler rocket of 2,000 ]lbf
The pound of force or pound-force (symbol: lbf, sometimes lbf,) is a unit of force used in some systems of measurement, including English Engineering units and the foot–pound–second system.
Pound-force should not be confused with pound-m ...
thrust added in its tail. The Rolls-Royce Nene
The Rolls-Royce RB.41 Nene is a 1940s British centrifugal compressor turbojet engine. The Nene was a complete redesign, rather than a scaled-up Rolls-Royce Derwent"Rolls-Royce Aero Engines" Bill Gunston, Patrick Stephens Limited 1989, , p.111 w ...
turbojet, of 5,200 lbf
The pound of force or pound-force (symbol: lbf, sometimes lbf,) is a unit of force used in some systems of measurement, including English Engineering units and the foot–pound–second system.
Pound-force should not be confused with pound-m ...
thrust, had a split tailpipe which exhausted either side of the fuselage. The combination was termed the Hawker P.1072
The Hawker P.1072 was a 1949 experimental British aircraft acting as a test bed for the Armstrong Siddeley Snarler rocket booster engine. It was the prototype Hawker Sea Hawk modified to install the rocket in the tail.
Development
After the S ...
.[Although the Nene's thrust, as for any turbojet, fell with increasing altitude the Snarler's remained constant.] 50% greater thrust, although with twenty times the fuel consumption.[ It was first used in flight on 20 November 1950, by Hawker's ]test pilot
A test pilot is an aircraft pilot with additional training to fly and evaluate experimental, newly produced and modified aircraft with specific maneuvers, known as flight test techniques.Stinton, Darrol. ''Flying Qualities and Flight Testing ...
Trevor "Wimpy" Wade.[ Half a dozen flights were made using the rocket motor before a minor explosion damaged the aircraft. Although methanol was used in the P.1072, jet fuel could be used for the Snarler. It was decided that ]reheat
An afterburner (or reheat in British English) is an additional combustion component used on some jet engines, mostly those on military supersonic aircraft. Its purpose is to increase thrust, usually for supersonic flight, takeoff, and combat ...
was a more practical proposition for boosting jet thrust than rockets.
An unusual feature of the engine was that the fuel/oxidiser pump was externally driven, by a drive from the gearbox
Propulsion transmission is the mode of transmitting and controlling propulsion power of a machine. The term ''transmission'' properly refers to the whole drivetrain, including clutch, gearbox, prop shaft (for rear-wheel drive vehicles), differe ...
of the P.1072's turbojet engine. This feature continued into the first versions of the subsequent Screamer
The screamers are three South American bird species placed in Family (biology), family Anhimidae. They were thought to be related to the Galliformes because of similar beak, bills, but are more closely related to ducks (family Anatidae),Todd, F. ...
engine, but was later replaced with a turbine-driven turbopump.
Variants
;ASSn.1 Snarler:The prototype and test engines, (Ministry of Supply
The Ministry of Supply (MoS) was a department of the UK government formed in 1939 to co-ordinate the supply of equipment to all three British armed forces, headed by the Minister of Supply. A separate ministry, however, was responsible for aircr ...
designation ASSn.).
Applications
* Hawker P.1072
The Hawker P.1072 was a 1949 experimental British aircraft acting as a test bed for the Armstrong Siddeley Snarler rocket booster engine. It was the prototype Hawker Sea Hawk modified to install the rocket in the tail.
Development
After the S ...
Specifications
See also
References
{{Aviation rocket engines
Snarler
Aircraft rocket engines