Following its success as an automobile manufacturer, Rolls-Royce, Ltd. began design and development of aircraft engines at the request of the British Admiralty at the beginning of World War I. The Rolls-Royce Condor was a large and very powerful engine developed at the end of the war in 1918 for use in long-range heavy bombers, principally for bombing Berlin, Germany. Design work was begun at the end of 1917 and retained the same cylinder construction of earlier types. A total of 327 Condors were recorded as having been built.
The Condor Mk IA (also referred to as the Condor II) was built in 1921. It succeeded the Mk I and incorporated several design changes, increasing the power and speed. Only 34 of these engines were built by Rolls-Royce at Derby. The Condor Mk IA powered the Beardmore BeRo.1 Inflexible, Fairey N.4 Atalanta, and the Hawker Horsley aircraft.
Display Status
This object is not on display at the National Air and Space Museum. It is either on loan or in storage.
Object Details
Date
1921
Country of Origin
United Kingdom
Type
PROPULSION-Reciprocating & Rotary
Manufacturer
Rolls-Royce Ltd. (Derby, U.K.)
Physical Description
Type: Reciprocating, 12 cylinders, V-type, water cooled
Power rating: 485 kW (650 hp) at 1,900 rpm
Displacement: 35 L (2,138 cu in.)
Bore and Stroke: 140 mm (5.5 in.) x 191 mm (7.5 in.)
Weight: 591 kg (1,300 lb)
Dimensions
Height 106.7 cm (42 in.), Width 83.8 cm (33 in.), Depth 180.3 cm (71 in.)
Materials
Steel, Paint, Aluminum, Rubber, Copper, Brass, Textile
Inventory Number
A19340006000
Credit Line
Transferred from the War Department, Air Corps, Materiel Division, Wright Field, Dayton, Ohio
Data Source
National Air and Space Museum
Restrictions & Rights
Open Access (CCO)
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