The Turbomeca Artouste is an early French

turboshaft A turboshaft engine is a form of gas turbine that is optimized to produce shaftpower rather than jet thrust. In concept, turboshaft engines are very similar to turbojets, with additional turbine expansion to extract heat energy from the exhaust ...

engine, first run in 1947. Originally conceived as an auxiliary power unit (APU), it was soon adapted to aircraft propulsion, and found a niche as a powerplant for turboshaft-driven helicopters in the 1950s. Artoustes were licence-built by

Bristol Siddeley Bristol Siddeley Engines Ltd (BSEL) was a British aero engine manufacturer. The company was formed in 1959 by a merger of Bristol Aero-Engines Limited and Armstrong Siddeley Motors Limited. In 1961 the company was expanded by the purchase of t ...

(formerly Blackburn) in the UK, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited in India, and developed by Continental CAE in the US as the Continental T51. Two major versions of the Artouste were produced. The Artouste II family, mainly used in the Aérospatiale Alouette II helicopter, had a one-stage centrifugal compressor and a two-stage turbine, with gearbox-limited power of . The Artouste III family, mainly used in Aérospatiale's

Alouette III Alouette or alouettes may refer to: Music and literature * "Alouette" (song), a French-language children's song * Alouette, a character in ''The King of Braves GaoGaiGar'' Aerospace * SNCASE Alouette, a utility helicopter developed in France i ...

and

Lama Lama (; "chief") is a title for a teacher of the Dharma in Tibetan Buddhism. The name is similar to the Sanskrit term ''guru'', meaning "heavy one", endowed with qualities the student will eventually embody. The Tibetan word "lama" means "hi ...

helicopters, had a two-stage axial-centrifugal compressor and a three-stage turbine, with gearbox-limited power of .

Variants

;Artouste I: ;Artouste II: ;Artouste IIB, IIB1: for takeoff, continuous ;Artouste IIC, IIC1, IIC2, IIC5, IIC6: for takeoff, continuous (limited by engine gearbox) :(Without gearbox limit, ratings are for takeoff and continuous) ;Artouste IIIB: for takeoff, continuous (limited by engine gearbox) :(Without gearbox limit, sea level ratings are for takeoff and continuous) ;Artouste IIIB1, IIID: for takeoff, continuous (limited by engine gearbox) :(Without gearbox limit, sea level ratings are for takeoff and continuous) ; Continental T51:Licence production and development of the Artouste in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

;Turbomeca Marcadau:A

turboprop A turboprop is a turbine engine that drives an aircraft propeller. A turboprop consists of an intake, reduction gearbox, compressor, combustor, turbine, and a propelling nozzle. Air enters the intake and is compressed by the compressor. Fuel ...

variant, the Marcadau was a development of the Artouste II, producing through a 2.3:1 reduction gearbox.

Applications

;Artouste * Aérospatiale Alouette II * Aérospatiale Alouette III * Aerospatiale Lama *

Aerotécnica AC-14 The Aerotécnica AC-14 was a Spanish five-seat light helicopter of the 1950s, designed by Jean Cantinieau, based on enlarging his Nord Norelfe __NOTOC__ The Nord 1750 Norelfe was a 1950s French three-seat helicopter built by Nord Aviation and ...

* Atlas XH-1 Alpha *

Curtiss-Wright VZ-7 The Curtiss-Wright VZ-7 (also known as the VZ-7AP) was a VTOL quadrotor helicopter aircraft designed by the Curtiss-Wright company for the US Army. Like the Chrysler VZ-6 and the VZ-8 Airgeep it was to be a "flying jeep". Design and developmen ...

* Handley Page Victor - as

APU APU or Apu may refer to: Film and television * ''The Apu Trilogy'', a series of three Bengali films, directed by Satyajit Ray, with the fictional character Apu Roy, comprising: ** ''Pather Panchali'' (''Song of the Little Road'') (1955), the first ...

* Hawker Siddeley Trident - as

* IAR 316 * IAR 317 * Merckle SM 67 * Nord Norelfe * Piasecki VZ-8 Airgeep * SNCASO Farfadet * Vickers VC10 - as

;Marcadau * Morane-Saulnier Epervier

Engines on display

A Turbomeca Artouste is on public display at: *

The Helicopter Museum (Weston) The Helicopter Museum in Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset, England, is a museum featuring a collection of more than 80 helicopters and autogyros from around the world, both civilian and military. It is based at the southeastern corner of the fo ...

* Aviodrome - Lelystad Airport - The Netherlands

Specifications (Artouste IIIB)

References

;Notes: ;Bibliography: * {{Turbomeca aeroengines 1940s turboshaft engines Artouste Aircraft auxiliary power units

Variants

Applications

Engines on display

Specifications (Artouste IIIB)

See also

References