FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1953
1953 - 1641.PDF
11 December 1953 795 This Pratt and Whitney J42-P-6 is one of several foreign-developed variations on the basic Rolls- Royce Nene. night fighters are equipped with American interception equipment. The first target-sensing transponders were British and it was from them that America mass-produced proximity fuses. A joint development by both countries is the error-indicator carried by air-to-air targets. Radar bomb sights were another Anglo- American undertaking, in which both countries are today self- sufficient although in close touch. In the field of navigation, Britain developed the first hyperbolic pulse systems, such as Gee, from which has been evolved continuous-wave Decca, and American devices such as Loran. Gas-turbine development was also very much a joint effort after the first discussion with the American General Electric company in the autumn of 1941. The original Whittle engine had been developed by Power Jets and later by B.T.H., Rover and Rolls- Royce. Independent work had been begun by Major Halford and the D.H. engine company, Metropolitan Vickers and Arm strong Siddeley, the two latter concentrating on the axial com pressor which had been studied by Dr. Griffiths and the R.A.E. since 1926. On the enemy side, von Ohain and Heinkel (later with Hirth), Daimler Benz, B.M.W. and Junkers had all built turbo- jets; and the two latter companies were in production. Later development saw the British concept independendy developed by American G.E.C., who then turned to the axial layout and passed some of the work to Allison, who have since made many thousands of engines. D.H. engines have been con verted to metric units and mass-produced in Sweden and Switzer land, while Rolls-Royce turbojets have been used as the basis for important units in France, America and Russia. The German engines have, in turn, been developed in France, Russia and Japan, in most cases largely by German engineers. The two main licence-producers of Rolls-Royce engines are Hispano-Suiza and Pratt and Whitney, bodi of whom have gone on to make their own modifications to the basic Nene design. The latest Hispano Verdon and Pratt and Whitney J48 are perfect examples of national resource and character working on a standard British product—in this case the Tay, which Rolls-Royce dropped in favour of the axial Avon. Early members of the great Avon family are themselves now in production in several countries. A particularly good example of co-operation is provided by the recent agreement between Rolls-Royce and the American West- inghouse company. Owing to severe technical trouble the Westinghouse turbojet production programme has fallen seriously behind schedule; Rolls-Royce are now in close association with Westinghouse and are not only providing considerable technical assistance but are prepared to let Westinghouse market, or manu facture under licence, engines of Rolls-Royce design. And this exchange will not be only one-sided. Back in 1940 die rapidly growing firm of Norm American Aviation undertook the design of their first full-blooded fighter —to a British specification. This machine, the N.A.73 Mustang, was originally handicapped by its low-altitude Allison engine; re-engineered by Rolls-Royce to take the two-stage Merlin, it became one of the most efficient piston-engine fighters ever built. The Merlins for Mustang production were themselves built in America by the Packard Motor Company who also supplied engines for Canadian-built Mosquitoes and Lancasters and for a variety of Curtiss fighters. The first American jet aircraft, the Bell XP-59, was fitted with American-built Whittle units; but the excellent Lockheed XP-80 first flew with the Halford H-l turbojet which was later known as the Goblin. This was international co-operation in the fullest sense, for de Havillands actually diverted the only available engine cleared for flight in order that the Lockheed might take the air in the shortest possible time. Lockheed turned the tables on Britain when Rolls-Royce borrowed a production F-80 in order to test their Nene turbojet, later in 1944. Today two of the F-80's descendents enter the story: the F-94C Starfire uses an American-developed version of the Rolls-Royce Tay, while the T-33 is licence-built in Canada with the Nene. These T-33s are built by Canadair, Ltd., at Montreal, who will always be remembered for their magnificent effort in providing a considerable number of Merlin-powered transports, based on the DC-4 and DC-6, in a remarkably short time. These machines, which today form the backbone of B.O.A.C. and Trans-Canada Airlines, are full of American and British equipment, much of which was specially developed for this aircraft. There is a possibility that our own Britannia will in turn be licence- produced by Canadair, possibly with some Ameri can equipment on board, to fill a variety of roles. Canadair have now built over 700 Sabres under North American licence. Present production is powered by the Avro Orenda, which is itself an engine developed by engineers from many countries. The Sabre is another international machine, and in Australia a development is in production powered with the Australian Avon and armed with Hispano 30 mm guns. The Sapphire is being built in large numbers as the Wright J65, in which form it differs in many details from the basic product from Coventry. Armstrong Siddeley co-operated closely with Wright in overcoming such things as blade reson ance; it is not generally known in America that the British firm had already developed suitable steel blading for the Sapphire compressor before the licence agreement was signed. Wright are also developing the Bristol Olympus under the terms of another licence agreement which is likely to benefit both companies. The unique qualities of the Canberra rapidly brought it to the attention of the U.S. Air Force for whom the Martin Company are now producing a suitably Americanized development. Some of the features developed by Martin are in turn being introduced to later marks of British Canberra. Australia are also turning out Canberras with their own modifications incorporated. In production at Toronto is the Avro Canada CF-100 Mk 4, for which the Hughes Company have developed a complete nose- section housing radar first-control equipment. On the other hand, me undercarriage is of true British Dowty design; the engines are Avro Canada Orendas. In passing it may be noted that Solar of California have been called in to develop an Orenda afterburner. Other Canadian/British aircraft include the de Havilland Chip munk, which has also been built in England at Chester, and the highly successful Beaver, hundreds of which have been supplied to the U.S. Air Force and Army and which has also been developed to take the Alvis Leonides engine. The Leonides is also fitted to the Westland Dragonfly series of helicopters which are, of course, based on the Sikorsky S-51. Westland are now producing the bigger S-55—which they have named the Whirlwind—later ver sions of which will have the 14-cylinder Leonides Major. European jet co-operation includes the licenced production of de Havilland engines by several firms in Switzerland, Sweden and Italy, those built by die Fiat Company being supplied to France for installation in French-built Sea Venoms. Several of the Turbo- meca gas turbines are now being built both in Britain and America, and their use as auxiliary boosters for airliners has been developed with die assistance of operators from as far apart as Israel and Brazil. A special mention should be made of the work by Air Service Training in the provision of flying test-beds for foreign gas-turbine manufacturers, typical examples being the Dovern- Lancaster for Sweden and the Atar-Meteor for France. Anglo/American power-plant equipment includes a whole host of units designed by such firms as Dowty, B.T.H., K.L.G., Rotax, Plessey and Lucas. We may single out for mention the starters originally developed by Rotax for large fighter turbojets. These were to be licence-produced in America by Bendix, but difficulty was experienced in obtaining the necessary supplies of cordite. Accordingly the American company redesigned die Rotax unit to burn a petrol/air mixture and—the wheel having turned a full circle—Rotax now licence-produce the Bendix development. France, Britain and America have co-operated in the develop ment of lightweight batteries, while Sweden and Switzerland have added their knowledge in die perfecting of several new guns and rockets. Odier companies whose engineers have worked in close co-operation include Redifon/Curtiss Wright, Rotol/AiResearch and de Havilland/Hamilton Standard. Sometimes one company undertakes research on both sides of die Atlantic; thus the "wave- type" wheels developed by Goodyear for the Valiant B.Mk 2 were originally developed in America. Among military equipment are such items as ejection seats, targets and the products of Flight Refuelling, Ltd., examples of which are now in production in America, and other countries, to British design. In return we have learned much from the U.S.A. in the design of flying-clothing for high-altitude, high-speed flight. The reader should also note the close technical co-opera tion between the Royal Navy and U.S. Navy in the application of the British-developed steam catapult and angled deck for air craft carriers. The first ships to embody these devices—H.M.S. Perseus and U.S.S. Antietam—were used for joint trials. It is a particularly significant fact that Britain and America are in such close harmony in the development of new solutions to their common problems.
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
