wuzak
Captain
To go along with the thread about no V-1710, what would be the alternatives had the Merlin not been in production?
There were alternatives - but not necessarily appetizing ones.
Rolls-Royce:
Bristol:
Armstrong Siddeley:
Napier:
Fairey:
For mine, the short term solution for Spitfire/Hurricane class of fighters would have been the Griffon I, with the Griffon II replacing that at a later stage.
There were alternatives - but not necessarily appetizing ones.
Rolls-Royce:
- Kestrel XXX - tops out at about 720hp. Hurricane and Spitfire would seriously lack performance.
- Peregrine I - same size as Kestrel. Not developed in deference to the Merlin. Also 3-4 years behind the Merlin. 885hp around 1940, but could have eventually been developed to c.1500hp.
- Exe - solid lump of metal, makes 1150hp, expected to top out at around 1500hp. Not developed in deference to the Merlin.
- Vulture - troubled development with numerous issues that had to be solved. Showed potential, but engineering time was precious, so was dropped to concentrate on Merlin and Griffon.
- Griffon I - detuned version of the Rolls-Royce R, which was a racing version of the Buzzard. 36.7l should give c.1500hp at the start of WW2. With special fuels and no regard for longevity, 2900-3000hp could be possible (with 1 hour life!). Not proceeded with in deference to the PV.12/Merlin.
- Griffon II - new 36.7l engine, started only in 1938. Would be late for the start of WW2.
Bristol:
- Hercules - usually an alternative engine for the Merlin in proposals and production aircraft. Problematic production at the start of the war led to fears of under-supply (hence the Merlin Beaufighter). Had good development potential, but lagged the Merlin early on.
- Taurus - Hercules's little brother. SImilar issues plus the added one of insufficient cooling.
- Centaurus - initial developments pre war, but lagged while Bristol sorted the Hercules. Good engine, but not necessarily a Merlin alternative, or available early enough.
Armstrong Siddeley:
- Deerhound - under development at the start of the war, it needed a couple of redesigns before it was making anywhere near the required power. Cooling issues also held it back. Air cooled, though AS wanted it to be liquid cooled.
Napier:
- Rapier - too small, not enough power.
- Dagger - promising power output for its size, but it was too small. Also quite an earful, apparently.
- Sabre - powerhouse under development at beginning of WW2. Production issues and reliability held it back. Different class to Merlin
Fairey:
- P.12/P.12S Prince - between Merlin and Kestrel in size, around Kestrel power levels. Not proceeded with.
- P.16 Prince - 1500hp class H-16, 34l. Quite heavy (according to Wiki) at 2180lb. Each half could operate separately. Not proceeded with.
- P.24 Monarch - 2200hp H-24, also weighing 2180lb, according to wiki. Quite wide and tall (3" wider and 6.5" taller than a Sabre). Each half could operate seprately, and had its own two speed, single stage supercharger (not a 2 stage 4 speed as it is often described. Alos slow and late in development. Not proceeded with.
For mine, the short term solution for Spitfire/Hurricane class of fighters would have been the Griffon I, with the Griffon II replacing that at a later stage.
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