Power Jets

Power Jets
Company type	Private (1936–1944), Nationalised (1944–1948)
Industry	Aerospace, jet engine manufacturing
Founded	January 27, 1936; 90 years ago in United Kingdom
Founder	Frank Whittle, Rolf Dudley-Williams, James Collingwood Tinling, financiers from O T Falk & Partners
Defunct	1948
Fate	Nationalised in 1944; later merged into National Gas Turbine Establishment (NGTE Pyestock)
Headquarters	Rugby, Warwickshire (initially); later Lutterworth, Leicestershire, United Kingdom
Area served	Worldwide (jet engine development and licensing)
Key people	Frank Whittle (founder)
Products	Jet engines including Power Jets WU, W.1, W.2 series
Number of employees	~25 (by 1940) (1940)

Power Jets was a British enterprise established by Frank Whittle with the purpose of designing and producing jet engines. The company was nationalised in 1944 and later transformed into the National Gas Turbine Establishment.

History

Power Jets emerged from Whittle's groundbreaking research into gas turbine propulsion, beginning with his initial patent granted in 1930. The company was officially formed on 27 January 1936 by Whittle, Rolf Dudley-Williams, James Collingwood Tinling, along with financiers from O T Falk & Partners. Initially, it operated without government endorsement and continuously struggled to secure adequate funding.

Its operations commenced in rented facilities from British Thomson-Houston (BTH) located in Rugby, Warwickshire, before moving to BTH’s manufacturing site in Lutterworth in 1938. By 1940, the staff had grown to approximately twenty-five employees. A major milestone occurred that year when Ernest Hives, chairman of Rolls-Royce Limited, offered manufacturing assistance at Rolls-Royce’s experimental workshop in Derby, overcoming previous supplier hesitations. High Duty Alloys notably provided specialised aluminium alloys capable of withstanding jet compressor environments. Whittle prioritized straightforward engine designs to simplify production processes.

The Power Jets WU "First Model" represented the world’s inaugural turbojet engine to operate, serving as a testbed rather than a flight-capable engine. It incorporated a centrifugal compressor achieving a pressure ratio of 4:1, exceeding earlier single-stage records. This engine was first run on 12 April 1937, receiving early backing from Sir Henry Tizard and the Air Ministry. Development ended in 1941 when it was replaced by the flight-capable Power Jets W.1, which powered Britain’s first jet aircraft, the Gloster E.28/39. Ground testing of a non-flying W.1 began in April 1941; the E.28/39 completed its first jet-powered flight on 15 May 1941. Subsequent iterations of the W.1 improved performance during flight trials, confirming the viability of jet propulsion and encouraging Gloster to proceed with production fighter designs.

In 1941, experiments aimed at increasing thrust involved injecting liquid coolants such as ammonia and water-methanol into the W.1 engine; although these were never installed on the E.28/39, the findings influenced future advancements. The W.1 was also produced in the United States as the General Electric I-A and powered the Bell P-59A Airacomet under its production designation General Electric J31.

Work on the Power Jets W.2 commenced in 1940 alongside Air Ministry Specification F.9/40 for a twin-engine jet fighter prototype. Initially manufactured by Rover at Barnoldswick, control shifted to Rolls-Royce in late 1942 following a factory exchange agreement. Power Jets continued to provide consultancy while Rolls-Royce evolved the design into the Rolls-Royce Welland, which powered early models of the Gloster Meteor—the Allies’ first operational jet fighters.

The W.2B/500 variant developed into the Rolls-Royce Derwent after Rolls-Royce redesigned it post-transfer from Rover. Power Jets worked closely on Derwent’s development; confident engineers advanced it directly into production without prior testing models. The Derwent and its successor based on the Nene engine powered later Gloster Meteor variants, significantly enhancing their capabilities.

Following initial proposals by the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE), its Pyestock Section experimented with fuel injection into exhaust nozzles (reheat/afterburner), refining this technology after integrating Power Jets staff. This innovation was flight-tested on W.2/700 engines fitted in Meteor I aircraft, resulting in speed increases of 30-40 mph.

In late 1943, a British supersonic research initiative targeted speeds up to 1,000 mph with the Miles M.52, powered by a modified W.2/700 engine initially delivering 2,000 lb thrust. While demonstrating promising transonic performance during dives, further engine development was necessary for sustained supersonic flight; however, the programme was discontinued in February 1946 following government cancellation.

Power Jets’ existence and contributions were publicly acknowledged in January 1944. On 28 March that year, it was nationalised for £135,000 as Power Jets (Research and Development) Ltd. After World War II, it merged with RAE’s Turbine Division at Farnborough to form NGTE Pyestock. Whittle resigned in February 1946 due to disagreements over policy direction; Power Jets was fully dissolved by 1948.

In 1951, Power Jets’ successor secured $4 million (£1.43 million) from the US Government as advance licensing fees covering approximately 200 Whittle gas turbine patents over two decades; wartime patent charges had been waived previously.

Products

Power Jets WU: A trio of experimental test engines (WU standing for Whittle Unit) designed to explore jet engine principles. Due to limited funding, components were frequently repurposed from one unit to another.
Power Jets W.1: The inaugural flight-capable engine featuring a double-entry compressor, reverse-flow combustion chamber, single-stage axial turbine, and convergent nozzle. Manufactured by British Thomson-Houston, it powered the Gloster E.28/39 prototype.
Power Jets WR.1: Developed in partnership with Rolls-Royce, combining Power Jets parts with a Rolls-Royce compressor.
Power Jets W.1X: Constructed using spare parts from the W.1; although not certified for flight, it was utilized for taxiing tests and initial short hops of the Gloster E.28/39. Notably the first jet engine operated in the United States, contributing to General Electric’s inaugural US jet engine production.
Power Jets W.2: An enhanced iteration of the W.1 maintaining a comparable layout but delivering increased power.
Power Jets W.2B: A variant of the W.2 developed by Rover, which evolved into the Rolls-Royce Welland 1 engine that powered early models of the Gloster Meteor and served as the foundation for General Electric’s I-A engine.
Power Jets W.2/500: A refined version of the W.2B; distinguished as the first Power Jets design to achieve its intended speed during initial testing. This model underpinned the straight-through combustor Rolls-Royce Derwent 1 engine employed in later Meteor variants.
Power Jets W.2/700: An upgraded version of the W.2/500 featuring improvements to the compressor impeller, diffuser, and blower casing; successfully reached Whittle’s efficiency goal of 80% at a pressure ratio of 4:1.
Power Jets W.3X: A proposed straight-through flow design that was never constructed.
A turboprop engine delivering between 250 and 500 shp, developed by Coventry Climax as the C.P.35.

Power Jets

History

Products

See also

Bibliography