Rolls-Royce Avon
1940s British turbojet aircraft engine
The Rolls-Royce Avon was the first axial flow jet engine designed and produced by Rolls-Royce. Introduced in 1950, the engine went on to become one of their most successful post-World War II engine designs. It was used in a wide variety of aircraft, both military and civilian, as well as versions for stationary and maritime power.
An English Electric Canberra powered by two Avons made the first un-refuelled non-stop transatlantic flight by a jet, and a British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) de Havilland Comet 4 powered by four Avons made the first scheduled transatlantic crossing by a jet airliner.
Production of the Avon aero engine version ended after 24 years in 1974. Production of the Avon-derived industrial version continues to this day, by Siemens since 2015.
The current version of the Avon, the Avon 200, is an industrial gas generator that is rated at 21,000–22,000 shp (15.7–16.4 MW). As of 2011, 1,200 Industrial Avons have been sold, and the type has established a 60,000,000 hour record for its class.
Design and development
The engine was initially a private venture put forward for the English Electric Canberra. Originally known as the AJ.65 for Axial Jet, 6,500 lbf the engine was based on an initial project concept by Alan Arnold Griffith.
“Rolls-Royce Avon” enters the record as 1940s British turbojet aircraft engine. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Rolls-Royce, Avon and 1940s can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Rolls-Royce Avon” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Rolls-Royce, Avon and 1940s provides the most credible route into that argument.
The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 21, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2164321. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1950, 1974, 2015 and 2011.
The absence of detail may reflect summary conventions rather than a lack of surviving documentation. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Rolls-Royce Avon”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Rolls-Royce Avon primary sources, Rolls-Royce Avon archive and Rolls-Royce research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Rolls-Royce Avon”?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Rolls-Royce Avon” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.