Rolls-Royce RB108

The Rolls-Royce RB108 was a jet engine designed by Rolls-Royce specifically for use as a VTOL lift engine, i.e., an engine intended primarily for providing lift rather than for horizontal propulsion.

Of squat, compact design for mounting vertically, the RB108 differed from conventional engines in having its bearings and oil system designed for prolonged operation in the vertical attitude. First bench-tested in 1955 by Alan A. Griffith, who had conceived the idea of a specialised lift jet in 1941, thrust was 2,130 lbf (966.15 kg) from a weight of 269 lb (122 kg), giving a thrust/weight ratio of 8:1.

The RB108 was used in the Short SC.1, which used four for lift with an additional one mounted at an angle at the rear for propulsion, and the Mirage Balzac, which used eight vertically-mounted RB108s for lift. The Vereinigte Flugtechnische Werke (VFW) SG 1262 used five RB108s, three mounted in tandem on the centreline, with one RB108 either side.

The RB108 was also the intended powerplant for several other VTOL aircraft designs, including one by Dornier.

External links

* [http://www.corestore.org/RB108.jpgA photograph of an RB108]
* [http://www.vectorsite.net/avav8_1.html RB108 origins]
* [http://www.vstol.org/wheel/VSTOLWheel/ShortSC-1.htm The Short SC.1]
* [http://1000aircraftphotos.com/Contributions/Braas/7423.htm Vereinigte Flugtechnische Werke SG 1262]

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