#Merlin project wikipedia serial number
#Merlin project wikipedia series

Īlthough the Peregrine appeared to be a satisfactory design, it was never allowed to mature since Rolls-Royce's priority was refining the Merlin. This was to be used in larger aircraft such as the Avro Manchester. The 885 hp (660 kW) Rolls-Royce Peregrine was an updated, supercharged development of their V-12 Kestrel design, while the 1,700 hp (1,300 kW) 42-litre (2,560 cu in) Rolls-Royce Vulture used four Kestrel-sized cylinder blocks fitted to a single crankcase and driving a common crankshaft, forming an X-24 layout. Two more Rolls-Royce engines developed just prior to the war were added to the company's range. Following the company convention of naming its piston aero engines after birds of prey, Rolls-Royce named the engine the Merlin after a small, Northern Hemisphere falcon ( Falco columbarius). Production contracts for both aircraft were placed in 1936, and development of the PV-12 was given top priority as well as government funding. Both were designed around the PV-12 instead of the Kestrel, and were the only contemporary British fighters to have been so developed. Fortunately, two designs had been developed: the Supermarine Spitfire and the Hawker Hurricane the latter designed in response to another specification, F36/34. In 1935, the Air Ministry issued a specification, F10/35, for new fighter aircraft with a minimum airspeed of 310 mph (500 km/h). The Hart was subsequently delivered to Rolls-Royce where, as a Merlin testbed, it completed over 100 hours of flying with the Merlin C and E engines. became available, the engine was adapted to use a conventional liquid-cooling system. This proved unreliable and when ethylene glycol from the U.S. The engine was originally designed to use the evaporative cooling system then in vogue.

#Merlin project wikipedia serial number

The PV-12 was first run on 15 October 1933 and first flew in a Hawker Hart biplane ( serial number K3036) on 21 February 1935. Consequently, work was started on a new 1,100 hp (820 kW)-class design known as the PV-12, with PV standing for Private Venture, 12-cylinder, as the company received no government funding for work on the project. In the early 1930s, Rolls-Royce started planning its future aero-engine development programme and realised there was a need for an engine larger than their 21-litre (1,296 cu in) Kestrel which was being used with great success in a number of 1930s aircraft. Merlin engines remain in Royal Air Force service today with the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, and power many restored aircraft in private ownership worldwide.ĭesign and development Origin Production ceased in 1950 after a total of almost 150,000 engines had been delivered. The Packard V-1650 was a version of the Merlin built in the United States.

Post-war, the Merlin was largely superseded by the Rolls-Royce Griffon for military use, with most Merlin variants being designed and built for airliners and military transport aircraft. A de-rated version was also the basis of the Rolls-Royce/Rover Meteor tank engine. One of the most successful aircraft engines of the World War II era, some 50 versions of the Merlin were built by Rolls-Royce in Derby, Crewe and Glasgow, as well as by Ford of Britain at their Trafford Park factory, near Manchester. Starting at 1,000 horsepower (750 kW) for the first production models, most late war versions produced just under 1,800 horsepower (1,300 kW), and the very latest version as used in the de Havilland Hornet over 2,000 horsepower (1,500 kW).

#Merlin project wikipedia series

A series of rapidly-applied developments, brought about by wartime needs, markedly improved the engine's performance and durability. The Merlin remains most closely associated with the Spitfire and Hurricane, although the majority of the production run was for the four-engined Avro Lancaster heavy bomber. The first operational aircraft to enter service using the Merlin were the Fairey Battle, Hawker Hurricane and Supermarine Spitfire. Initially known as the PV-12, it was later called Merlin following the company convention of naming its four-stroke piston aero engines after birds of prey.Īfter several modifications, the first production variants of the PV-12 were completed in 1936. Rolls-Royce designed the engine and first ran it in 1933 as a private venture. The Rolls-Royce Merlin is a British liquid-cooled V-12 piston aero engine of 27- litres (1,650 cu in) capacity. Liquid-cooled V-12 four-stroke piston aero engine For the Packard-produced licensed version, see Packard V-1650 Merlin.