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The Rolls-Royce Avon turbojet was developed by Cyril Lovesey who had previously been in charge of Merlin development at Rolls-Royce. The Avon was developed to replace the Nene. Initially designated the AJ.65 (axial jet, 6,500 lb thrust), it was an Axial-flow turbojet with a 15-stage compressor, mass flow of 150 lbs/sec and a pressure ratio of 7.45. Over 11,000 were built between 1947 and 1974
The Avon powered a range of aircraft including the de Havilland Comet, de Havilland Sea Vixen, English Electric Canberra, English Electric Lightning, Fairey Delta, Hawker Hunter, Sud-Aviation Caravelle, Supermarine Swift, Vickers Valiant, Dassault Mystère IV, Svenska militära A32Lansen and SAAB Draken.
An Avon powered De Havilland Comet 4 flew the first scheduled transatlantic jet service in 1958.
Output
Typical performance varies from the Avon RA.3 Mk 1, developing 6,500 lb (28.9 kN) thrust, through the Avon RA.28 Mk 207 with 10,150 lb (45.1 kN) thrust and the Avon RA.29 Mk 532 with 11,700 lb (52.0 kN) thrust to the Avon 301R, producing 12,690lb dry thrust and 16,360lb thrust on reheat. The final Avon 300 series reached 17,110lbs of thrust.
Other Uses
- The Avon is still in operational service with the RAF in the Canberra PR.9.
- The Avon is also currently marketed as a compact, high reliability, stationary power source. As the AVON 1533, it has a maximum continuous output of 21,480 SHP at 7,900 rpm and a thermal efficiency of 30.0%. In 1982, an Avon engine on gas pumping duty in a Canadian installation ran for 53,000 hours before requiring a major overhaul. In 1994, another Industrial Avon engine ran non-stop for 476 days.
- As a compact electrical generator, the type EAS1 Avon based generator can generate a continuous output of 14.9MW.
- As the Svenska Flygmotor RM6C with a thrust of Thrust 17,110lbs, it powers the SAAB Draken
- On 4 October 1983, Richard Noble's Thrust2 vehicle, powered by a single Rolls Royce Avon 302 jet engine, set a new land-speed record of 633.468mph at the Black Rock Desert in Nevada.
- In the US, the Avon was used to power the vertical landing Ryan X-13 "Vertijet" aircraft (in RA.28-49 form) and the Martin B-57.
See also
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