Bristol Aero Engines developed a reliable and powerful ramjet motor for the Stage 1 SAGW in the 1950s. This 16" diameter ramjet was initially used in the Red Duster programme to produce a series of test vehicles and produce the Bloodhound I.
Despite early problems caused by the ramjet's need for an engine-mounted flare to maintain combustion, the application of a combustor developed by the NGTE saved the Thor and the Red Duster from cancellation. The image at left shows the BS.1009 Thor as mounted on the upper fuselage of a Bloodhound II SAM.
Further developments for the
Blue Envoy programme saw much improved efficiency and reliability, allowing the Bloodhound II to be developed and deployed. The ultimate Thor was the BS.1009, which was developed to improve the range of Bloodhound III, but applied to the Bloodhound II. The original 25-mile range of the Bloodhound I had been improved to almost 90 miles with the late model Bloodhound II.
In the cut-away of an early Thor shown below, the diffuser and intake centrebody can be clearly seen. The small bodies on the piping are the fuel jets. The perforated areas allow cooling air to enter the combustion chamber, preventing the engine from overheating. The tail pipe also has an external cooling fairing, as can be seen in the first image.
This early BT.4 Thor lacks the improvements to burners, fuel system and jetpipe that were implemented into the BS.1009 Thor.
This image shows a Thor ramjet next to the larger more powerful
BRJ.801. This 18" diameter ramjet was intended for higher performance (in speed and range) and was to be applied to the Blue Envoy (Stage 1 3/4) SAM, but its ultimate application was the Blue Steel Mk2 stand off missile. Blue Envoy was cancelled in 1957, while Blue Steel Mk2 was cancelled in 1962.Bristol Aero engines merged with Armstrong Siddeley Motors to form Bristol Siddeley Engines Ltd. BSEL was bought by Rolls-Royce in the 1960s, which explains the R-R badge on the Thor at the top of the page.
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