Bristol Centaurus
The Bristol Centaurus is a large, air-cooled sleeve-valve radial piston-engine family developed for high-powered aircraft. Its introduction was slowed by cooling difficulties, competing Bristol commitments and the availability of suitable airframes. It subsequently powered Hawker Tempest and Fury fighters and postwar British aircraft. The RAF Museum's Tempest II history provides a concrete Centaurus application, while its historical journal explains the development challenges; neither makes one engine mark's rating representative of the entire family.
Identity
- Aliases
- CentaurusBristol Centaurus familyBristol Centaurus radial
- Domains
- aviation
- Identity Level
- family
- Kind
- piston-engine
- Name
- Bristol Centaurus
- Status
- historical
Details
- Description
- The Bristol Centaurus is a large, air-cooled sleeve-valve radial piston-engine family developed for high-powered aircraft. Its introduction was slowed by cooling difficulties, competing Bristol commitments and the availability of suitable airframes. It subsequently powered Hawker Tempest and Fury fighters and postwar British aircraft. The RAF Museum's Tempest II history provides a concrete Centaurus application, while its historical journal explains the development challenges; neither makes one engine mark's rating representative of the entire family.
- Piston Specs
- Configuration
- air-cooled sleeve-valve radial
- Cylinder Count
- 18
Links
Assets & Meta
- Creation Time
- August 14, 2026 at 00:57:25 UTC
- Updated Time
- October 17, 2026 at 12:28:07 UTC
Other
- Sources
- Title
- National Air and Space Museum Technical Reference Files: Bristol Centaurus
- Title
- RAF Historical Society Journal 42 — engine development history
- Title
- Hawker Tempest II PR536 individual history — RAF Museum