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Engines do offer an AH to my (#12) "nothing profound would have changed if UK had stayed in, 4/69".

(Pay attention at the back. This is complicated).


Big Fans emerged from work at NASA/Ames, NGTE/Pyestock. In 1964 DoD went to tender for CX-HLS and BEAC Invited a Big Twin.

UK MoA gained £1.4Mn. for a Demonstrator, to which RR offered RB178 (Super Conway), BSEL BS.123 (a Super Olympus: BOl.593 turbine, BS.100 compressor). BSEL lost BS.100/P.1154, so BS.123 ratcheted risk, so RR was funded 6/65, bench test 7/66. CX-HLS was won 10/65 by LAC/C-5A, GE TF39 (PV variant CF6 to bench test 21/10/68). Losers Boeing/Pratt PV schemed to be 747/JT9D.


BEAC's Big Twin became of interest to Air France, so UK/French Govts' Study contracts by 11/65 on BAC, HSAL, AMD, Breguet, Nord, Sud, response 4/66, engine open to JT9D, BS.123, RB178: GE took no interest, being busy at risk price on TF39. FRG joined 9/66, nominating a loose assembly of their airframers and M.A.N.Turbo to be added to whichever engine France+UK might choose.


PanAm bought 25 747s, 13/4/66, declining RB178 non-firm price, for JT9D fixed price. Boeing 26/4/66 ceased offering RB178 Option.

That experience compounded Medway's 12/60 loss of 727 and would cause RR to offer RB211 fixed Unit price to L-1011. (Fixed Unit prices would bring Boeing and P&W to the brink of the abyss, 1970/71, and plunge RR into it, 2/71).


BSEL dumped BS.123 6/66 and joined JT9D (so did SNECMA, 9% owned by P&W). RR killed Euro-JT9D by buying BSEL, 7/10/66. Project Study contracts 15/10/66: HSAL+Sud (ea.37.5%)/DASA (25%), Super Galion to be A300, RB207 (RR 75%, SNECMA/M.A.N.Turbo, ea. 12.5%).


US evolved the notion of Big Triplets. RR 28/7/67 won UK Govt Launch Aid: (70% of cost to a ceiling of £49Mn. RB207 (UK content; FRG/ France sponsored M.A.N/SNECMA), £40Mn. RB211/US Triplets). DC-10/10, CF6, won 2 of US' Big 5, 19/2/68 (DC-10/20, JT9D soon for Northwest); L-1011/ RB211 won 2, 29/3/68; Delta wanted L-1011/CF6, but took RR 2/4/68. (3 engine types on 2 airframes for one market sector would ensure financial poo for all).


The A300 Team downsized, 9/12/68. RR schemed an RB211 and drip-Studied it with their RB207 £ till UK jumped ship 16/4/69. FRG/France launched A300B, 50% ea. 29/5/69 (HSAL as wing "Associate" guessed as 18%); CF6-50 selected 23/10/69*.               So PoD:


Could A300B have been UK/France/FRG, RB211?                                                                                               Well, what is the A to this Q:

Could RR have evolved solo RB211-for-L-1011 concurrently with collaborative RB211-for-A300B?


Pratt did JT9D concurrently, 747 and DC-10/(20 became)40; GE did TF39/C-5A with CF6-DC-10/10 and A300B. Pain was present.

RR was also doing collaborative power for Concorde and MRCA.


RR went bust 4/2/71. Nationalised RR (1971) Ltd was up 22/5/71 after much anguish confused by Lockheed's own turmoil on C-5A.


As could quite credibly range from: Sure, no prob - because SNECMA+MTU-in-an-RB211 might have helped/mitigated its problems;

                                                         to FRG+France early-71 seizing this good excuse to cut their losses and dump A300B.



(* added 1815, 13/1: 20% SNECMA, 10% MTU).


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