The Rolls-Royce Nene, designated RB.41, is a centrifugal-flow turbojet developed in 1944. Early engines produced about 5,000 lbf thrust, a substantial increase over the Welland and first Derwent.[1]Rolls Royce Nene jet engineAustralian War Memorial · awm.gov.au · Accessed 2026-09-13Open source details
Rapid development
The prototype was designed and built within a few months during 1944. The Australian War Memorial records a prototype weight of 1,580 lb and identifies the increase in thrust as a major advance over earlier engines. At first, suitable airframes were limited; the development programme had produced a powerplant larger than the available Meteor installation could readily accommodate.[1]Rolls Royce Nene jet engineAustralian War Memorial · awm.gov.au · Accessed 2026-09-13Open source details
Airflow through the engine
The Nene uses a single centrifugal compressor stage with a double-sided impeller. Air enters from both sides and passes through a diffuser to nine combustion chambers. A single-stage axial turbine drives the compressor through a directly connected shaft. The propelling nozzle accelerates the remaining hot gas to produce thrust after the turbine has extracted the energy required by the compressor.[1]Rolls Royce Nene jet engineAustralian War Memorial · awm.gov.au · Accessed 2026-09-13Open source details
Experimental installations
Avro installed four Nene engines in the Tudor 8 in 1948. The aircraft retained a tailwheel undercarriage, placing the exhausts close to the ground. A tricycle undercarriage followed on the Tudor 9, which became the Ashton and first flew in 1950. The Ashton served as a research aircraft, illustrating how established transport airframes could provide experimental installations during the transition to jet propulsion.[2]A V Roe & Co LtdScience Museum Group · collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk · Accessed 2026-09-13Open source details
Argentina and the Pulqui II
In Argentina, a Nene powered the I.Ae.33 Pulqui II experimental fighter. The aircraft first flew on 16 June 1950 with Edmundo Osvaldo Weiss at the controls. The project involved Kurt Tank, Norberto Morchio and a combined Argentine and German engineering team. It demonstrated the use of the British engine in an attempt to develop a domestic swept-wing fighter during the early jet age.[3]June aviation anniversaries: Pulqui IIArgentine Air Force · argentina.gob.ar · Accessed 2026-09-13Open source details[4]Aeronave Pulqui IIArgentina Ministry of Defence · argentina.gob.ar · Accessed 2026-09-13Open source details