The Klimov VK-1 was the first
Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nation ...
jet engine to see significant production. It was developed by and first produced by the GAZ 116 works. Derived from 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 ...
, the engine was also built under licence in
China as the Wopen WP-5.
Design and development
Immediately after
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, the Soviet Union manufactured copies of first generation German
Junkers 004 and
BMW 003
The BMW 003 (full RLM designation 109-003) is an early axial turbojet engine produced by BMW AG in Germany during World War II. The 003 and the Junkers Jumo 004 were the only German turbojet engines to reach production during World War II.
W ...
engines, which were advanced designs with poor durability, limited by Germany's shortage of rare metals in wartime. However, in 1946, before the
Cold War had really begun, the new British
Labour government under the
prime minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...
,
Clement Attlee, keen to improve diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union, authorised
Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce (always hyphenated) may refer to:
* Rolls-Royce Limited, a British manufacturer of cars and later aero engines, founded in 1906, now defunct
Automobiles
* Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, the current car manufacturing company incorporated in ...
to export 40
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 ...
centrifugal flow
turbojet
The turbojet is an airbreathing jet engine which is typically used in aircraft. It consists of a gas turbine with a propelling nozzle. The gas turbine has an air inlet which includes inlet guide vanes, a compressor, a combustion chamber, an ...
engines. In 1958 it was discovered during a visit to
Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
by
Whitney Straight
Air Commodore Whitney Willard Straight, (6 November 1912 – 5 April 1979) was a Grand Prix motor racing driver, aviator, businessman, and a member of the prominent Whitney family of the United States.
Early life
Born in New York City, Whitn ...
, then deputy chairman of Rolls-Royce, that this engine had been copied without license to power the
MiG-15 'Fagot', first as the RD-45, and after initial problems of metallurgy forced the Soviet engineers to develop a slightly redesigned (and metallurgically closer) copy, the engine had then entered production as the Klimov VK-1 (Rolls-Royce later attempted to claim £207m in license fees, without success).
The RD-45 was improved to produce the VK-1, which differed from the Nene in having larger
combustion chamber
A combustion chamber is part of an internal combustion engine in which the fuel/air mix is burned. For steam engines, the term has also been used for an extension of the firebox which is used to allow a more complete combustion process.
Intern ...
s, a larger
turbine
A turbine ( or ) (from the Greek , ''tyrbē'', or Latin ''turbo'', meaning vortex) is a rotary mechanical device that extracts energy from a fluid flow and converts it into useful work. The work produced by a turbine can be used for generating ...
, and revised induction giving greater airflow through the engine, raised from 41 kg/s for the Nene, to 45 kg/s. The VK-1F model added the afterburner.
The engine featured a
centrifugal compressor
Centrifugal compressors, sometimes called impeller compressors or radial compressors, are a sub-class of dynamic axisymmetric work-absorbing turbomachinery.
They achieve pressure rise by adding energy to the continuous flow of fluid through t ...
, requiring a larger-diameter fuselage than aircraft featuring
axial compressor designs that had already appeared during World War II in Germany and Britain.
Applications
The VK-1 was used to power the
MiG-15 'Fagot' and
MiG-17 'Fresco' fighters and the
Il-28 'Beagle' bomber. Some of these engines are in use today in Russia mounted on
truck
A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame constructi ...
s and
railroad cars as
snow blowers and ice melters.
Specifications (VK-1)
See also
*
List of aircraft engines
References
Notes
Bibliography
* Gunston, Bill. ''World Encyclopedia of Aero Engines''. Cambridge, England. Patrick Stephens Limited, 1989.
*
External links
VK-1 on LeteckeMotory.cz (czech)VK-1F on LeteckeMotory.cz (czech)
{{People's Republic of China military aeroengines
1940s turbojet engines
VK-1
Centrifugal-flow turbojet engines