Turbomeca Artouste
| Industry | Aerospace |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1938 |
| Headquarters | France |
| Products | Aircraft engines, including the Artouste turboshaft engine |
The Turbomeca Artouste represents one of the pioneering French turboshaft engines, with its inaugural operation dating back to 1947. Originally created to serve as an auxiliary power unit (APU), it was soon modified for primary aircraft propulsion roles, becoming a fundamental engine for turboshaft helicopters throughout the 1950s. Production under license was undertaken in the United Kingdom by Bristol Siddeley, in India by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, and in the United States by Continental CAE under the designation Continental T51.
The engine was manufactured in two principal variants: the Artouste II series, which mainly powered the Aérospatiale Alouette II, featured a single-stage centrifugal compressor paired with a two-stage turbine, delivering power limited by gearbox constraints to approximately . The Artouste III series, predominantly installed in the Aérospatiale Alouette III and Aérospatiale Lama, incorporated a dual-stage axial-centrifugal compressor alongside a three-stage turbine, providing output up to , also limited by gearbox restrictions.
Variants
- Artouste I
- Artouste II
- Artouste IIB, IIB1
- takeoff power , continuous power
- Artouste IIC series (IIC, IIC1, IIC2, IIC5, IIC6)
- takeoff power , continuous power (gearbox-restricted); without gearbox limitation: takeoff power , continuous power
- Artouste IIIB
- takeoff power , continuous power (gearbox-restricted); without gearbox limitation: takeoff power , continuous power
- Artouste IIIB1, IIID
- takeoff power , continuous power (gearbox-limited); unrestricted ratings equal to IIIB
- Continental T51
- American licensed manufacture and further development of the Artouste
- Turbomeca Marcadau
- Turboprop variant derived from Artouste II, producing through a 2.3:1 reduction gearbox.
Applications
- Artouste
- Aérospatiale Alouette II
- Aérospatiale Alouette III
- Aerospatiale Lama
- Aerotécnica AC-14
- Atlas XH-1 Alpha
- Curtiss-Wright VZ-7
- Handley Page Victor - utilized as an APU
- Hawker Siddeley Trident - employed as an APU
- IAR 316
- IAR 317
- Merckle SM 67
- Nord Norelfe
- Piasecki VZ-8 Airgeep
- SNCASO Farfadet
- Vickers VC10 - used as an APU
- Marcadau
Engines on display
Examples of the Turbomeca Artouste are on public exhibit at:
- The Helicopter Museum (Weston)
- Aviodrome - Lelystad Airport, The Netherlands
References
- Notes
- Bibliography