(first run in 1943)

The Rolls Royce Derwent was a turbojet engine developed by Rolls Royce during World War 2. It was designed to power Britain’s first jet fighter, the Gloster Meteor, which entered service in 1944. The RAAF flew Meteors powered by improved Derwent 9 engines during the Korean war.

After early problems in developing this engine Rolls Royce took over the work in 1941 and the first one was ready for flight in 1943. Early versions could generate a thrust that began at 8.9kN (2,000 pounds) and improved incrementally to 10.7kn (2,400pounds) of thrust.

Rolls Royce used the Derwent as basis for the larger and more powerful Rolls Royce Nene engine. However the Nene was too large to fit inside the Gloster Meteor’s nacelles so a downsized version of the engine was produced to fit and called the Derwent 5. It was more powerful and generated 15.6kn (3,500 pounds) of thrust.

In November 1945, a Meteor powered by the Derwent 5 set a world air speed record of 975 km/h (606 mph).

During the Korean War the Royal Australian Air Force began flying Gloster Meteor F.8s. They were fitted with slightly more powerful Derwent 8 jet engines to help counter the enemy MiG-15 fighters. By then, however, the Meteor and Derwent were outdated technology and outclassed by the more modern MiGs, so they were soon confined to ground attack duties.