Napier Sabre

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Sabre
Napier Sabre01.jpg
Napier Sabre cutaway at the London Science Museum.
Type Liquid-cooled H-24 sleeve valve piston aero engine
National origin United Kingdom
Manufacturer D. Napier & Son
First run January 1938
Major applications Hawker Tempest
Hawker Typhoon
Napier-Heston Racer
The Napier Sabre was a British H-24-cylinder, liquid-cooled, sleeve valve, piston
aero engine, designed by Major Frank Halford and built by D. Napier & Son during
World War II. The engine evolved to become one of the most powerful inline piston
aircraft engines in the world, developing from 2,200 horsepower (1,640 kW) in its
earlier versions to 3,500 hp (2,600 kW) in late-model prototypes.[1]

The first operational aircraft to be powered by the Sabre were the Hawker Typhoon
and Hawker Tempest; the first aircraft powered by the Sabre was the Napier-Heston
Racer, which was designed to capture the world speed record.[nb 1] Other aircraft
using the Sabre were early prototype and production variants of the Blackburn
Firebrand, the Martin-Baker MB 3 prototype and a Hawker Fury prototype. The rapid
introduction of jet engines after the war led to the quick demise of the Sabre, as
there was less need for high power military piston aero engines and because Napier
turned its attention to developing turboprop engines such as the Naiad and Eland.