Rolls-Royce Limited its unreliable Rolls-Royce Vulture engines), Vickers Wellington (twin-engine); it also transformed the American North American P-51 Mustang into a competitor for the best fighter of its time, its engine a Merlin engine built by Packard under licence. Over 160,000 Merlin engines were produced, including over 30,000 by the Ford Motor Company at Trafford Park, Manchester. During the war most Rolls-Royce flight testing of engines was carried out from Hucknall Aerodrome. The Merlin crossed over into military land-vehicle use as the Meteor powering the Centurion tank among others. Many Meteor engines used engine blocks and parts that failed requirements for high
Rolls-Royce Kestrel the Kestrel VIII, was configured as a 'pusher engine' for the Short Singapore flying boat. Apart from supercharging, the variant differences centred on varying compression ratios and propeller reduction gearing. "From Lumsden, the Kestrel may not be the main powerplant for these types." Several Rolls-Royce Kestrel engines remain in service, powering restored Hawker biplane types: Preserved examples of the Rolls-Royce Kestrel engine are on public display at the: Rolls-Royce Kestrel The Kestrel or type F is a 22-litre (1,342 Cu In) 700-horsepower (520 kW) class V-12 aircraft engine from Rolls-Royce, their first cast-block engine and the pattern for most of