Rolls-Royce Limited increase its own production rates. By the late 1920s, aero engines made up most of Rolls-Royce's business. Henry Royce's last design was the Merlin aero engine, which was first flown in prototype form in 1935, although he had died in 1933. This was developed from the R engine, which had powered a record-breaking Supermarine S.6B seaplane to almost in the 1931 Schneider Trophy. The Merlin was a powerful supercharged V12 engine and was fitted into many World War II aircraft: the British Hawker Hurricane, Supermarine Spitfire, de Havilland Mosquito (twin-engine), Avro Lancaster (four-engine) (a development of the Avro Manchester with
Rolls-Royce Eagle XVI aircraft industry where it was felt that the unusual layout would block the pilot's forward view in a typical fighter aircraft installation. The project was dropped and development efforts then concentrated on the Kestrel. Like the Crecy the Eagle XVI was one of the few Rolls-Royce projects that did not fly, it is of note that the 'X' engine layout was reused in the later Vulture and Exe designs. Rolls-Royce Eagle XVI The Rolls-Royce Eagle XVI was a British experimental 16 cylinder aero engine designed and developed by Rolls-Royce Limited in 1925. The engine was test run but did not