The Williams F121 (company designation WR36-1Leyes, p. 421) is a small turbofan engine designed for use in the

AGM-136 Tacit Rainbow The AGM-136A ''Tacit Rainbow'' was a United States military anti-radiation missile program run from 1982 to 1991. The requirement was for a low-cost air-launchable system to aid in the destruction of enemy air defense networks. The proposed uni ...

anti-radiation cruise missile.

Development and design

The F121 engine had a rare set of design parameters as it is designed to be used only once. As a cruise missile engine, it was designed to have a long shelf life (be able to sit around unused for long periods of time) and then operate when needed for several hours.''Williams International F-121 Fanjet''
National Museum of the US Air Force Fact Sheet. Accessed 17 July 2017. It was designed to power the

, which was to be a stand-off anti radiation missile. Its first flight was on July 30, 1984. The AGM-136 program was canceled several years later. Another unique feature of the engine is that it was started with an explosive cartridge because it couldn't start while still mated to its aircraft. In the late 2000s, the engine was being used by the Naval Air Warfare Center at

Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station (NAWS) China Lake is a large military installation in California that supports the research, testing and evaluation programs of the United States Navy. It is part of Navy Region Southwest under Commander, Navy Installa ...

to test fuel performance and additives.Kraemer, Nathan A. (2007).
Development and Qualification of a Specialized Gas Turbine Test Stand to Research the Potential Benefits of Nanocatalyst Fuel Additives
'. Master's Thesis, Naval Postgraduate School.

Specifications

References

* {{USAF gas turbine engines 1980s turbofan engines F121 Low-bypass turbofan engines

Development and design

Specifications

See also

References