Rolls-Royce Kestrel
Rolls-Royce
- Configuration
- 60° liquid-cooled V12, 21.25 litres
- Power
- ~450–745 hp
About
The Kestrel was the engine on which Rolls-Royce built its aero reputation in the 1930s — a 21-litre liquid-cooled V12 of 450 to 745 hp and the firm’s first cast-block design, the pattern from which the Merlin grew. It powered a generation of biplanes such as the Hawker Hart family and Fury, and in wartime the Miles Master advanced trainer. In a quirk of history, Kestrels were fitted to the prototypes of the Messerschmitt Bf 109 and the Junkers Ju 87 Stuka while their intended German engines were still in development.
Sources: This page was compiled from publicly available historical sources, including Lumsden, Alec — British Piston Aero-Engines and their Aircraft (Airlife, 2003) and Rolls-Royce Kestrel — Wikipedia. The text is original and has been written from factual source material.