Metropolitan-Vickers F.2
| F.2/Beryl | |
|---|---|
| Beryl engine preserved at Solent Sky Museum | |
| Type | Turbojet |
| Manufacturer | Metropolitan-Vickers |
| First run | 1941 |
| Major applications | Saunders-Roe SR.A/1 |
The Metropolitan-Vickers F.2 is an early turbojet engine and the first British design to be based on an axial-flow compressor. It was an extremely advanced design for the era, using a nine-stage axial compressor, annular combustor, and a two-stage turbine.
It first powered a Gloster Meteor in November 1943, outperforming contemporary models from Power Jets. Despite this excellent start, it was considered unreliable and did not see use during the war. In the post-war era, newer engine designs provided much higher performance, and interest in the F.2 waned.
The potential of the engine and the investment did not go to waste, however; the design was passed from Metropolitan-Vickers (Metrovick) to Armstrong Siddeley when Metrovick left the gas turbine business. Armstrong Siddeley produced a larger version as the successful Sapphire.