Rolls-Royce RB162
The Rolls-Royce RB.162 was a simply constructed and lightweight British turbojet engine produced by Rolls-Royce Limited. Developed in the early 1960s, the RB.162 was designed to meet an anticipated need for a lift engine to power VTOL aircraft with the emphasis on simplicity, durability and lightweight construction. Development costs were shared by Britain, France and Germany after signing a joint memorandum of agreement. The engine featured fibre glass compressor casings and plastic compressor blades to save weight which also had the effect of reducing production costs. The engine has no oil system, a metered dose of oil instead being injected into the two main bearings by the compressed air used to turn the compressor at startup. Although the RB.162 was a successful design the expected large VTOL aircraft market did not materialise and the engine was only produced in limited numbers. First run in January 1962, only 86 were built. A design study for a turbofan version of the RB.162 was designated RB.175. Another projected derivative, the RB.181 was to be a scaled down version of the RB.162 producing approximately 2,000 lbs of thrust. Seven of these lift engines were to power the unbuilt Lockheed/Short Brothers CL-704 VTOL variant of the F-104 Starfighter.
Applications:
RB.162-86
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