Rolls Royce Avon
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The Rolls-Royce Avon was the first axial flow
jet engine A jet engine is a type of reaction engine discharging a fast-moving jet of heated gas (usually air) that generates thrust by jet propulsion. While this broad definition can include rocket, Pump-jet, water jet, and hybrid propulsion, the term ...
designed and produced by Rolls-Royce. Introduced in 1950, the engine went on to become one of their most successful post- World War II engine designs. It was used in a wide variety of aircraft, both military and civilian, as well as versions for stationary and maritime power. An English Electric Canberra powered by two Avons made the first un-refuelled non-stop transatlantic flight by a jet, and a
BOAC British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) was the British state-owned airline created in 1939 by the merger of Imperial Airways and British Airways Ltd. It continued operating overseas services throughout World War II. After the passi ...
de Havilland Comet 4 powered by four Avons made the first scheduled transatlantic crossing by a jet airliner. Production of the Avon aero engine version ended after 24 years in 1974.Gunston 1989, p. 149. Production of the Avon-derived industrial version, currently produced by
Siemens Siemens AG ( ) is a German multinational conglomerate corporation and the largest industrial manufacturing company in Europe headquartered in Munich with branch offices abroad. The principal divisions of the corporation are ''Industry'', '' ...
, continues to this day. The current version of the Avon, the Avon 200, is an industrial gas generator that is rated at . As of 2011, 1,200 Industrial Avons have been sold, and the type has established a 60,000,000 hour record for its class.


Design and development

The engine was initially a private venture put forward for the English Electric Canberra. Originally known as the AJ.65 for ''Axial Jet, 6,500 lbf'' the engine was based on an initial project concept by Alan Arnold Griffith."Rolls-Royce Aero Engines" Gunston, Bill, Patrick Stephens Limited 1989, , p.131,132,133 which combined an axial compressor with a combustion system and single-stage turbine using principles proven in the Rolls-Royce Nene engine. Design work began in 1945. The Avon design team was initially headed by Stanley Hooker assisted by Geoff Wilde. Development of the engine was moved from Barnoldswick to Derby in 1948 and Hooker subsequently left the company, moving to Bristol Engines. The first engine ran on 25 March 1947, with a 12-stage compressor. The engine was difficult to start, would not accelerate and broke first-stage blades. Two-position inlet guide vanes and compressor bleed were among the design changes which allowed the engine, as the RA.2, to run a 25-hour test and fly in the two outboard positions on the converted Avro Lancastrian military serial ''VM732'', from Hucknall on 15 August 1948. The first production engine, which needed a two-stage turbine, was the RA.3, or Avon Mk 101. Several modified versions of this design were produced in the Mk. 100 series. The Avon 200 series was a complete redesign having very little in common with earlier Marks. Differences included a completely new combustion section and a 15-stage compressor based on that of the
Armstrong-Siddeley Sapphire The Armstrong Siddeley Sapphire is a British turbojet engine that was produced by Armstrong Siddeley in the 1950s. It was the ultimate development of work that had started as the Metrovick F.2 in 1940, evolving into an advanced axial flow des ...
. The first application was the
Vickers Valiant The Vickers Valiant was a British high-altitude jet bomber designed to carry nuclear weapons, and in the 1950s and 1960s was part of the Royal Air Force's "V bomber" strategic deterrent force. It was developed by Vickers-Armstrongs in response ...
.


Operational history

The engine entered production in 1950 as the RA.3/Mk.101 with 6,500 lbf (29 kN) thrust in the English Electric Canberra B.2. Similar versions were used in the Canberra B.6,
Hawker Hunter The Hawker Hunter is a transonic British jet-powered fighter aircraft that was developed by Hawker Aircraft for the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It was designed to take advantage of the newly developed Rolls-R ...
and
Supermarine Swift The Supermarine Swift is a British single-seat jet fighter aircraft that was operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was developed and manufactured by Supermarine during the 1940s and 1950s. The Swift featured many of the new jet age innova ...
. Uprated versions followed, the RA.7/Mk.114 with thrust in the de Havilland Comet C.2, the RA.14/Mk.201, 9,500 lbf (42 kN) in the
Vickers Valiant The Vickers Valiant was a British high-altitude jet bomber designed to carry nuclear weapons, and in the 1950s and 1960s was part of the Royal Air Force's "V bomber" strategic deterrent force. It was developed by Vickers-Armstrongs in response ...
and the RA.26, 10,000 lbf (44 kN) used in the Comet C.3 and Hawker Hunter F.6. An Avon-powered de Havilland Comet 4 flew the first scheduled transatlantic jet service in 1958. The highest thrust version was the RA.29 Mk.301/2 (RB.146) used in later versions of the English Electric Lightning. It produced 12,690 lbf (56,450 N) and 17,110 lbf (72,770 N)"World Encyclopedia of Aero Engines – 5th edition" by Bill Gunston, Sutton Publishing, 2006, p.195 with afterburning. Other aircraft to use the Avon included the de Havilland Sea Vixen, Supermarine Scimitar and Fairey Delta2. The RA.3/Mk.109 was produced under licence by
Svenska Flygmotor Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
as the RM5, and an uprated RA.29 as the RM6 with 17,110 lbf (76,110 N) thrust. The RM5 powered the
Saab 32 Lansen The Saab 32 Lansen (English: Lance) is a two-seat, transonic military aircraft designed and manufactured by Saab AB from 1955 to 1960 for the Swedish Air Force (''Flygvapnet''). Three principal variants of the Lansen were built for attack (A 32A ...
and the RM6 powered the Saab 35 Draken and all-weather fighter version of the Lansen (J 32B). 300 Avon 113s, and a larger number of Avon 203s were produced under licence in Belgium by Fabrique Nationale. In the US the RA.28-49 was used in the VTOL
Ryan X-13 Vertijet The Ryan X-13 Vertijet (company designation Model 69) was an experimental vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) jet aircraft built by Ryan Aeronautical and flown in the United States in the 1950s. The main objective of the project was to demons ...
aircraft. In Australia, the Avon was used by
Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation The Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation (CAC) was an Australian aircraft manufacturer. The CAC was established in 1936, to provide Australia with the capability to produce military aircraft and engines. History In 1935 the Chief General Manager ...
in the CA-27 Avon-Sabre. The Avon continued in production for the
Sud Aviation Caravelle The Sud Aviation SE 210 Caravelle is a French jet airliner produced by Sud Aviation. It was developed by SNCASE in the early 1950s and made its maiden flight on 27 May 1955. It included some de Havilland designs and components developed for t ...
and English Electric (BAC) Lightning until 1974, by which time over 11,000 had been built. It remained in operational service with the RAF until 23 June 2006 in the
English Electric Canberra PR.9 The English Electric Canberra is a British first-generation, jet-powered medium bomber. It was developed by English Electric during the mid- to late 1940s in response to a 1944 Air Ministry requirement for a successor to the wartime de Havil ...
. Initial design work was done on the 2-spool RB.106/RB.128 as an Avon successor for large supersonic fighters.


Variants and designations

;AJ65:The original designation, standing for Axial Jet 6,500 lbf thrust ;RA.1:Prototype engines for testing and development. ;RA.2:Pre-production engines for testing – ;RA.3:Civil designation for the first Avon production mark. First avon with a two-stage turbine. – ;RA.7:Civil designation for the uprated version of the Avon RA.3. Electrically started. – ;RA.7R:RA.7 with reheat. Meant for use with an afterburner. Explosive-cartridge started. – without afterburner, with afterburner. ;RA.14:Civil designation for the uprated version of the Avon with can-annular combustion chamber and Sapphire style compressor – ;RA.19: ;RA.19R:RA.19 with reheat. – with afterburner. ;RA.21:Production engine developed from the RA.7 – ;RA.21R:Production engine developed from the RA.7R. Same as the Avon Mk.21. ;RA.24: ;RA.24R:Same as the Avon Mk.47A. ;RA.25:Civil Mk.503 ;RA.26:Further improvements to the Avon 200 series – Civil Mk.521 ;RA.28:Second generation variant – ;RA.29:Civil designation for the Mk.300 series (used by the Sud Aviation Caravelle) ;RA.29/1: ;RA.29/3: ;RA.29/6:Same as the Avon Mk.533 – ;RB.146:Rolls-Royce designation for Avon Series 300


Avon Series 100

Avon Series 100 are early military versions of the Avon. ;Avon Mk.100:Military designation for the RA.3 Avon – ;Avon Mk.101C: ;Avon Mk.113: ;Avon Mk.114:Military designation for the RA.7 Avon – ;Avon Mk.115:Same as the Avon Mk.23 – ;Avon Mk.117: ;Avon Mk.118: ;Avon Mk.20:Australian version built on license by
CAC CAC may refer to: Arts * California Arts Council, an agency for advancing California through the arts and creativity * Campbelltown Arts Centre, multidisciplinary contemporary arts centre south-west of Sydney, Australia * Comics Arts Conference ...
for the
CAC Sabre The CAC Sabre, sometimes known as the Avon Sabre or CA-27, is an Australian variant of the North American Aviation F-86F Sabre fighter aircraft. The F-86F was redesigned and built by the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation (CAC). Equipping five ...
Mk.31 – ;Avon Mk.21:Afterburning Swedish version built by RR and on license by SFA for the Saab 32A/C. Same as the RA.21R. Designated RM5A1. – without afterburner, with different afterburners. ;Avon Mk.21A:Improved Mk.21 with increased diameter on the engine outlet for more power. Built by RR and on license by SFA for the Saab 32A/C. Designated RM5A2. – without afterburner, with different afterburners. ;Avon Mk.23:Same as the Avon Mk.115. Non-afterburning Swedish version built by RR for the
Hawker Hunter The Hawker Hunter is a transonic British jet-powered fighter aircraft that was developed by Hawker Aircraft for the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It was designed to take advantage of the newly developed Rolls-R ...
Mk.50. Designated RM5B1. ;Avon Mk.24:Non-afterburning Swedish version built by RR for the
Hawker Hunter The Hawker Hunter is a transonic British jet-powered fighter aircraft that was developed by Hawker Aircraft for the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It was designed to take advantage of the newly developed Rolls-R ...
Mk.50. Designated RM5B2. ;Avon Mk.25:Non-afterburning Swedish version built by RR for the
Hawker Hunter The Hawker Hunter is a transonic British jet-powered fighter aircraft that was developed by Hawker Aircraft for the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It was designed to take advantage of the newly developed Rolls-R ...
Mk.50. Designated RM5B3. ;Avon Mk.26:Australian version built by
CAC CAC may refer to: Arts * California Arts Council, an agency for advancing California through the arts and creativity * Campbelltown Arts Centre, multidisciplinary contemporary arts centre south-west of Sydney, Australia * Comics Arts Conference ...
for the
CAC Sabre The CAC Sabre, sometimes known as the Avon Sabre or CA-27, is an Australian variant of the North American Aviation F-86F Sabre fighter aircraft. The F-86F was redesigned and built by the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation (CAC). Equipping five ...
Mk.32 –


Avon Series 200

Avon Series 200 are uprated military versions of the Avon with can-annular combustion chamber and Sapphire style compressor. ;Avon Mk.200: – ;Avon Mk.47A:Afterburning Swedish version built by RR and on license by SFA for the Saab 32B. Same as the RA.24R. Designated RM6A. – without afterburner, with afterburner. ;Avon Mk.48A:Afterburning Swedish version built by RR and on license by SFA for the
Saab 35 The Saab 35 Draken (; 'The Kite' or 'The Dragon') is a Swedish fighter-interceptor developed and manufactured by Svenska Aeroplan Aktiebolaget ( SAAB) between 1955 and 1974. Development of the Saab 35 Draken started in 1948 as the Swedish air fo ...
A/B/C. Designated RM6B. – without afterburner, with afterburner.


Avon Series 300

Avon Series 300 are further developed military after-burning versions of the Avon for the English Electric Lightning. ;Avon Mk.300: – ;Avon Mk.301:The ultimate Military Avon for the English Electric Lightning – dry, wet. ;Avon Mk.302:Essentially similar to the Mk.301 ;Avon Mk.60:Afterburning Swedish version built by RR and on license by SFA for the Saab 35 Draken D/F. Same as the RA.29R. Designated RM6C. – without afterburner, with afterburner. ;Westinghouse XJ54:Avon 300-series scaled-down by Westinghouse to 105 lb/sec airflow to produce 6,200 lb thrust.


Avon Series 500

Avon Series 500 are civilian equivalents to the military Avon Series 200 variants. ;Avon Mk.504: ;Avon Mk.506: ;Avon Mk.521: ;Avon Mk.522: ;Avon Mk.524: ;Avon Mk.524B: ;Avon Mk.525: ;Avon Mk.525B: ;Avon Mk.527: ;Avon Mk.527B: ;Avon Mk.530: ;Avon Mk.531: ;Avon Mk.531B: ;Avon Mk.532R: ;Avon Mk.532R-B: ;Avon Mk.533:Same as the RA.29/6 – ;Avon Mk.533R: ;Avon Mk.533R-11A:


Swedish designations

;Reaktionsmotor 3A – RM3A:Swedish designation for the Avon Mk.101C ;Reaktionsmotor 5A1 – RM5A1:Swedish designation for the Avon Mk.21 ;Reaktionsmotor 5A2 – RM5A2:Swedish designation for the Avon Mk.21A ;Reaktionsmotor 5B1 – RM5B1:Swedish designation for the Avon Mk.23 ;Reaktionsmotor 5B2 – RM5B2:Swedish designation for the Avon Mk.24 ;Reaktionsmotor 5B3 – RM5B3:Swedish designation for the Avon Mk.25 ;Reaktionsmotor 6A – RM6A:Swedish designation for the Avon Mk.47A ;Reaktionsmotor 6B – RM6B:Swedish designation for the Avon Mk.48A ;Reaktionsmotor 6C – RM6C:Swedish designation for the Avon Mk.60


Applications


Military aviation

*
CAC Sabre The CAC Sabre, sometimes known as the Avon Sabre or CA-27, is an Australian variant of the North American Aviation F-86F Sabre fighter aircraft. The F-86F was redesigned and built by the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation (CAC). Equipping five ...
* de Havilland Sea Vixen * English Electric Canberra * English Electric Lightning * Fairey Delta 2 *
Hawker Hunter The Hawker Hunter is a transonic British jet-powered fighter aircraft that was developed by Hawker Aircraft for the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It was designed to take advantage of the newly developed Rolls-R ...
*
Ryan X-13 Vertijet The Ryan X-13 Vertijet (company designation Model 69) was an experimental vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) jet aircraft built by Ryan Aeronautical and flown in the United States in the 1950s. The main objective of the project was to demons ...
*
Saab 32 Lansen The Saab 32 Lansen (English: Lance) is a two-seat, transonic military aircraft designed and manufactured by Saab AB from 1955 to 1960 for the Swedish Air Force (''Flygvapnet''). Three principal variants of the Lansen were built for attack (A 32A ...
* Saab 35 Draken *
Supermarine Swift The Supermarine Swift is a British single-seat jet fighter aircraft that was operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was developed and manufactured by Supermarine during the 1940s and 1950s. The Swift featured many of the new jet age innova ...
* Supermarine Scimitar *
Vickers Valiant The Vickers Valiant was a British high-altitude jet bomber designed to carry nuclear weapons, and in the 1950s and 1960s was part of the Royal Air Force's "V bomber" strategic deterrent force. It was developed by Vickers-Armstrongs in response ...


Civil aviation

* de Havilland Comet *
Sud Aviation Caravelle The Sud Aviation SE 210 Caravelle is a French jet airliner produced by Sud Aviation. It was developed by SNCASE in the early 1950s and made its maiden flight on 27 May 1955. It included some de Havilland designs and components developed for t ...


Other uses

*The Avon is also currently marketed as a compact, high reliability, stationary power source. As the AVON 1533, it has a maximum continuous output of 21,480 shp (16.02 MW) at 7,900 rpm and a thermal efficiency of 30%. An example can be found at Didcot Power Station in the United Kingdom where four Avon generators are used to provide Black start services to assist in a restart of the National Grid in the event of a system-wide failure, or to provide additional generating capacity in period of very high demand. *As a compact electrical generator, the type EAS1 Avon based generator can generate a continuous output of 14.9 MW. *On 4 October 1983, Richard Noble's Thrust2 vehicle, powered by a single Rolls-Royce Avon 302 jet engine, set a new land-speed record of 1,019.46 km/h (633.46 mph) at the Black Rock Desert in Nevada.


Survivors

*Several Avon-powered
Hawker Hunter The Hawker Hunter is a transonic British jet-powered fighter aircraft that was developed by Hawker Aircraft for the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It was designed to take advantage of the newly developed Rolls-R ...
aircraft remain airworthy in private ownership in 2010. *
Thunder City Thunder City is an aircraft operating and maintenance company based at the Cape Town International Airport in Cape Town, South Africa. It was well known for owning the largest civilian collection of former military jet aircraft in the world. Thes ...
in South Africa as of 2011 operated two Avon-powered English Electric Lightnings.
SWAHF
operates three Saab Lansen and two Saab Draken airworthy for air shows.


Engines on display

*A Rolls-Royce Avon Mk 1 is on display at Amrita University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu in the Department of Aerospace Engineering's Lab. *A Mk 524 Avon has been restored at the Museo Nacional de Aeronáutica de Argentina by the Museum Friend's Association in Moron, Argentina and is now on display. *An Avon Mk.203 was donated by Rolls-Royce to the National Museum of the United States Air Force in July 1986 for public display. *A Rolls-Royce Avon is on public display at the Midland Air Museum. *A preserved Rolls-Royce Avon Mk.203 is on display at the Royal Air Force Museum London. *A partially sectioned Mk.101 Avon is on display at the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford.RAF Museum – Rolls-Royce Avon
rafmuseum.org Retrieved: 27 January 2010
*A Rolls-Royce Avon is on display at the
Australian National Aviation Museum The Moorabbin Air Museum is an aviation museum at Moorabbin Airport in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It was founded in 1962 as the Australian Aircraft Restoration Group, in an attempt to maintain a World War II-era Bristol Beaufighter aircraf ...
, Moorabbin, Victoria, Australia *A Rolls-Royce Avon is on public display at East Midlands Aeropark *A Rolls-Royce Avon is on display at the
Fleet Air Arm Museum The Fleet Air Arm Museum is devoted to the history of British naval aviation. It has an extensive collection of military and civilian aircraft, aero engines, models of aircraft and Royal Navy ships (especially aircraft carriers), and paintin ...
at RNAS Yeovilton. *Several RR Avon engines are on display at the Queensland Air Museum, Caloundra, Australia *A Rolls-Royce Avon engine is on public display at the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society museum at Illawarra Regional Airport, New South Wales, Australia. *A Rolls-Royce Avon engine is on public display at the Parkes Aviation Museum in Parkes, New South Wales, Australia. *A Rolls-Royce Avon is on display at the Classic Flyers Aircraft Museum, Mt Maunganui, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand. *A Rolls-Royce Avon Mk.26 is on display at Mikes Dyno Tuning and Performance Engines, Dandenong, Victoria, Australia *A Rolls-Royce Avon (GAF) is on display at the
South Australian Aviation Museum The South Australian Aviation Museum, located in Port Adelaide, South Australia, is an aviation museum which displays aircraft, aircraft engines, and rockets of relevance to South Australia, and the history of aviation and the aerospace industr ...
, Port Adelaide, South Australia. *A Rolls-Royce Avon is on public display in the car park (under cover) at South Lanarkshire College, East Kilbride as an exhibit about Nae Pasaran. *A Rolls-Royce Avon MK 101 is on display at the entrance foyer of
Faculty of Engineering, University of Peradeniya The Faculty of Engineering, University of Peradeniya is one of the eight academic faculties at the university. It is the oldest engineering faculty in Sri Lanka. It offers full-time Undergraduate Courses leading to the degree of Bachelor of Sci ...
which was gifted by prof S. Mahalingam (engineer)


Specifications (Avon 301R)


See also


References


Notes


Bibliography

*Gunston, Bill. ''World Encyclopaedia of Aero Engines''. Cambridge, England. Patrick Stephens Limited, 1989. * *


External links


The fascinating story of the Rolls Royce Avon turbojet engine, the first Rolls Royce axial flow turbojetNational Museum of USAF – Avon MK 203 Turbojet
a 1955 ''Flight'' article on the Avon

a 1957 ''Flight'' article {{Navboxes , title=Articles and topics related to the Rolls-Royce Avon , state=collapsed , list1= {{RRaeroengines {{Volvo aeroengines {{Westinghouse aeroengines {{US military gas turbine aeroengines {{Swedish military gas turbine aeroengines {{Aero-derivative engines Avon 1940s turbojet engines Aero-derivative engines Products introduced in 1950 Axial-compressor gas turbine engines