Greetings all,
Apologies if this question has already been asked and answered. I quickly asked Google, but I didn’t see an answer. This question started with my belief that the F-16 is the first military aircraft to have multiple engine options. To elaborate on that statement, an F-16C or D can come with either a P&W F-100 or a GE F-110. I’d like to think I’m pretty knowledgeable about military aircraft, and I believe the F-16 is the first military aircraft that one can arrive at the “showroom floor” and say, “I’ll take mine with a P&W F-100” or “I prefer the GE F-110”. So am I correct in thinking the F-16 is the first military aircraft to have that option? Not the only, just the first. I know very little about civilian aircraft, but I believe most airliners these days have the option to use engines from all of the major manufacturers, like GE, P&W, and Rolls-Royce. I would be interested in knowing that as well. What was the first civilian/general aviation aircraft with propulsion options? While the answer might be contemporary aircraft. I thought it best to put the question to this forum as the “first” may well have happened much earlier than the F-16.
By: pogno - 1st March 2024 at 15:59
DH you are correct with the 504, in fact it even had an universal mounting to make life easier, and many other Rotary powered products of that time came with Gnome, Le Rhone, Clerget, Bentley engines.
I was actually just reinforcing the fact that a choice of engine dates from way before the F16. The OP’s question was ‘so am I correct in thinking the F16 is the first military aircraft to have that option?’.
By: dhfan - 1st March 2024 at 12:07
You could well be right, but the OP asked for the first. The Harts etc. were twenty years later than the Avro 504.
I suspect the OP was expecting something considerably more recent than only ten years after the Wright Brother’s first flight.
There may be others, I know very little about aircraft of that era, but the 504 came immediately to mind.
By: pogno - 1st March 2024 at 09:40
I think Hawker Aircraft in the 1930’s had the longest options list for its Hart range of biplanes. I know they were often given different names and painted different colours but essentially it was the same Hart airframe with a different engine. The RR Kestrel was by far the most popular choice but aircraft were also supplied with Armstrong Siddeley Panther, Bristol Pegasus, PW Hornet, Hispano-Suiza 12 and Napier Dagger engines.
By: ccubednoob - 25th February 2024 at 23:02
Thank you for the info. It looks like that aircraft did indeed have a number of different propulsion options.
By: dhfan - 25th February 2024 at 22:41
Avro 504 for military and civilian as one suggestion.
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February 25, 2024 at 10:33 pm