| Kestrel | |
|---|---|
| |
| Rolls-Royce Kestrel XVI at the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford | |
| Type | Piston V-12 aero engine |
| Manufacturer | Rolls-Royce Limited |
| First run | Late 1926 |
| Major applications | Hawker Hart Miles Master |
| Number built | 4,750 |
| Developed into | Rolls-Royce Goshawk Rolls-Royce Peregrine |
The Rolls-Royce Kestrel (internal type F) is a 21.25 litre (1,295 in³) V-12 aircraft engine from Rolls-Royce. It was their first cast-block engine, and used as the pattern for most of their future piston-engine designs.[1] Used during the interwar period, it was fitted to a number of British fighters and bombers of the era, including the Hawker Fury and Hawker Hart family, and the Handley Page Heyford. The Kestrel engine was also sold to international air force customers; in this role it was used to power prototypes of the German Messerschmitt Bf 109 and the Junkers Ju 87 "Stuka" dive-bomber, as the Junkers Jumo 210 engines were not ready to be fitted.[2] Several examples of the Kestrel engine remain airworthy today.