The Merlin EngineThe Merlin was designed and built by Rolls-Royce. These powerful and reliable engines were fitted to many Second World War aircraft including the Avro Lancaster, Hawker Hurricane and the Supermarine Spitfire.
Spitfires were powered by Rolls-Royce Merlin engines, and later Rolls-Royce Griffon engines. Just like the aeroplanes in which they were fitted, engines were constantly tuned and developed throughout the war.
Rolls-Royce developed the engine from 1933 from an engine called the PV12. Initially of about 900 to 990 horsepower on the bench, then in full production, once made reliable, in the Mk I Spitfire and the Hurricane with over 1100 horsepower. The Merlin engine is a small engine.
The civil aerospace business is a major manufacturer and service provider of aero engines. Rolls-Royce powers more than 35 types of commercial aircraft and has over 13,000 engines in service around the world. Demand for our products remains robust and underpins strong performance.
Production ceased in 1950 after a total of almost 150,000 engines had been delivered. 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.
In 1940, Ford Motor Co. initially committed to build 9,000 Merlin engines—6,000 for the British and 3,000 for the American armed forces—in mid-1940, over a year before the United States entered the conflict.
With more than 16,000 military engines in service with 160 customers in 103 countries, Rolls-Royce is a powerful player in the defence aerospace engine market.
Yes, there are several airlines that operate both Rolls-Royce and General Electric (GE) aircraft engines in their fleet. One example is British Airways, which has a mixed fleet of aircraft powered by both Rolls-Royce and GE engines.
After adoption for the prototype Spitfire, the engine, now named 'Merlin' was a 27-litre, liquid-cooled V12, producing an initial power output of 1000 horsepower, which was to all but double during the course of the war.
The Brits turned the Mustang into a great fighter by using their Rolls Royce Merlin engine. The later war version of the US made Wright R-3350 Duplex-Cyclone radial engines used in the B-29 were arguably the best bomber engines used in WWII.
The Packard Motor Car Company and Continental Aircraft built over 58,000 Merlins in the United States under license. Many were shipped to England, and others used in versions of the American Curtiss P-40 and most versions of the P 51.
Rolls-Royce Holdings plc is a British multinational aerospace and defence company incorporated in February 2011. The company owns Rolls-Royce, a business established in 1904 which today designs, manufactures and distributes power systems for aviation and other industries.
The Rolls-Royce Trent XWB is a high-bypass turbofan produced by Rolls-Royce Holdings. In July 2006, the Trent XWB was selected to power exclusively the Airbus A350.
BMW maintained a significant stake in parent company Rolls-Royce Plc, being the single largest shareholder in the firm for a number of years. However, BMW opted to sell its remaining shares during 2006, the move representing the company's formal exit for the aero engine sector after roughly 90 years of involvement.
Our customers include governments and world-leading corporations. Our defence aerospace operation, based in Bristol, powers the RAF's Eurofighter Typhoon and Airbus A400M aircraft. Also built in Bristol, our MT30 engine powers the Royal Navy's Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carrier and the Type 26 frigates.
Only three companies have ever been able to build successful large commercial jet engines alone. No-one can be sure which of the three will have the optimum design, though Rolls-Royce, with its three-spool design, can deliver a tailored solution more easily than their two-spool competitors.
Rolls-Royce recently received FAA approval for its BR700-730B2-14 engine, known commercially as the Pearl 700, that powers the soon-to-be-certified Gulfstream G700 and G800 ultra-long-range twinjets. EASA gave its nod for the engine last September.
To begin with, the Falcon-Heavy uses 27 Merlin engines because the first stage is made out of three Falcon 9's. As for why the Falcon 9 has nine engines… Redundancy: if one engine quits producing thrust, there is just a chance that the mission can be continued with eight firing.
The Merlin was designed and built by Rolls-Royce. These powerful and reliable engines were fitted to many Second World War aircraft including the Avro Lancaster, Hawker Hurricane and the Supermarine Spitfire. Over 150,000 Merlin engines were built.
