Medway powered fighters?

JFC Fuller

JFC Fuller

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This is my first post on this excellent forum so wish me luck!

I have just been doing a bit of reading about the Rolls Royce Medway and by all accounts it was a very powerful engine with a lot of potential. The question is was it ever proposed for a fighter? I will be honest and tell you that the fantasist in me would love for a version of the Vickers Type-583 to have been proposed with a pair of them.

If anybody can help I would most appreciate it, thank you in advance sealordlawrence.
 
Hmm trying this reply via mobile phone....
The Medway was larger than the Spey, so realistically short of a UK MiG-31 equivalent a twin engine fighter would be unlikely. A single engine fighter is more sensible for example a UK Viggen or similar.
 
overscan said:
Hmm trying this reply via mobile phone....
The Medway was larger than the Spey, so realistically short of a UK MiG-31 equivalent a twin engine fighter would be unlikely. A single engine fighter is more sensible for example a UK Viggen or similar.
Click to expand...

Well, there was a Sea Vixen proposal that fell victim to the 1957 cuts that used a pair of 14,000lb thrust un-reheated Medways?

The Medway was very similar to the JT8D, and might have even been licensed to the Swedes for the Viggen if the UK hadn't cancelled every Medway engined program.

It was also a very suitable engine for a large, twin engined strike aircraft. The Medway probably should have been chosen for the TSR-2, but was rejected in favor of the Olympus due to industrial considerations....
 
Surely you mean the cut down Medway, what we know as the Spey?
I've not read of Medways offered as an upgrade, only Speys.
 
TinWing said:
overscan said:
Hmm trying this reply via mobile phone....
The Medway was larger than the Spey, so realistically short of a UK MiG-31 equivalent a twin engine fighter would be unlikely. A single engine fighter is more sensible for example a UK Viggen or similar.
Click to expand...

Well, there was a Sea Vixen proposal that fell victim to the 1957 cuts that used a pair of 14,000lb thrust un-reheated Medways?

The Medway was very similar to the JT8D, and might have even been licensed to the Swedes for the Viggen if the UK hadn't cancelled every Medway engined program.

It was also a very suitable engine for a large, twin engined strike aircraft. The Medway probably should have been chosen for the TSR-2, but was rejected in favor of the Olympus due to industrial considerations....
Click to expand...
The Viggen was originally to use the Medway engine, and Rolls Royce allocated the designation RB.177 to a Medway variant to power the Viggen (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolls-Royce_Medway), but the cancellation of the Medway due to changes in market requirements that precipitated development of the Rolls Royce Spey. Therefore, the Viggen was instead powered by a Volvo-built copy of the JT8D turbofan engine

Reference:

Gunston, Bill and Peter Gilchrist. Jet Bombers: From the Messerschmitt Me 262 to the Stealth B-2. Osprey, 1993. ISBN 1-85532-258-7.
 
The Viggen was not originally intended to use the Medway engine. It was one option considered, the Olympus 22R being developed to TSR2 was the early front runner.

Suitable engines were quite few at the time for decision. The study phase was long and the engine development was fast. Many options he could see the light of day during this time. front
by 1960, so-called turbofans with lower fuel consumption than earlier engines.

The most studied engine options were versions of Bristol Olympus (pure jet) and Rolls Royce Spey (turbo fan).

At the end of 1961 two new alternatives were added: Pratt & Whitney JT8D and Rolls-Royce RB177 Medway, both civil turbo fan engines. It was assumed that some modifications would be necessary to adapt the engine to, for example double power figure. Of course, an afterburner chamber must also be added and constructed. These two alternatives were made against Olympus.

The disadvantages of Olympus were the uncertainty what regarding the decision-making situation in the United Kingdom and the engine's higher fuel consumption. The choice became difficult.
Finally, for aircraft 37, a version of JT8D which was designated RM 8 in our Air Force. What you did was choose a civilian turbo fan motor designed for Mach 0.85 to one aircraft expected to fly Mach 2.0+.

[translator's note - SAAB really wanted the Olympus, it was the Swedish Air Force insisting on the JT8D turbofan]

The engine was equipped with a Swedish developed EBK. The result was changed fan, new combustion chamber, changed turbine and of course completely new fuel control system. Practically everyone parts in the engine must be resized because of the higher power figure. For the hunting version engine we also had to do a brand new fan, low pressure compressor and new combustion chambers. Because of completely different operating conditions for RM 8, the experience of the JT8D program could only to some extent part come RM 8 credit. But aviation engine together with P&W got a lot of development work. Surprisingly, they hesitated not at KFF or Aircraft to take one engine from an airliner and put it in a war plane.
Click to expand...

 
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And Olympus sat in the A36 effort too.
 
An article I read in Air-Britain's AeroMilitaria back in 2016, was of a RAF proposal for the Viggen. Three version were offered, a Spey powered version, an Olympus powered version, and a twin engined powered version using RB.193. There was a set of 3-views with the article.
It doesn't mention anything about the Medway.
 
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