Clerget 9B

Clerget
Company type	Manufacturer
Industry	Aircraft engines
Founded	1913
Founder	Pierre Clerget
Headquarters	France, United Kingdom
Products	Rotary aircraft engines (Clerget 9B, Clerget 9Bf)

Template:Infobox Aircraft Engine

The Clerget 9B is a rotary aircraft engine with nine cylinders, originating from the World War I period and engineered by Pierre Clerget. Manufactured in both France and the United Kingdom (Gwynnes Limited), it was utilized in aircraft such as the Sopwith Camel. The Clerget 9Bf model introduced a longer stroke to enhance its power output.

Variants

Clerget 9B

Introduced in 1913, delivering 130 hp (97 kW). A total of 1,300 units were produced by Ruston Proctor & Co Ltd located in Lincoln

Clerget 9Bf

Launched in 1915 with an increased stroke length of 172 mm (6.75 in), resulting in a displacement of 17.5 L (1,066.5 cu in) and power output of 140 hp (104 kW). Production included 1,750 engines by Gwynnes Limited and an additional 600 manufactured by Ruston Proctor.

Clerget 9B

Clerget 9Bf

Sopwith Camel

Engines on display

A Clerget 9B engine is preserved and showcased at the Fleet Air Arm Museum, located at RNAS Yeovilton.
A Clerget 9Bf can be viewed at the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney.
A Clerget 9B engine is exhibited at the Pima Air & Space Museum in Arizona.

Operational (Airworthy) Rotary Engines

The Shuttleworth Collection at Old Warden Aerodrome, UK, maintains operational examples including a late-production Sopwith Triplane (G-BOCK) equipped with an original 9B engine, as well as a late-model Sopwith Camel (G-BZSC) powered by a genuine long-stroke 9Bf. These aircraft are active participants in summer airshow events.

Bibliography

Gunston, Bill. World Encyclopaedia of Aero Engines. Cambridge, England. Patrick Stephens Limited, 1989.
Lumsden, Alec. British Piston Engines and their Aircraft. Marlborough, Wiltshire: Airlife Publishing, 2003. .
Grey, C.G. Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1919. David & Charles (Publishing) Limited, 1969. .