Bristol Siddeley Gamma
The Armstrong Siddeley, later Bristol Siddeley Gamma was a family of rocket engines used in British rocketry, including the Black Knight and Black Arrow launch vehicles. They burned kerosene fuel and hydrogen peroxide. Their construction was based on a common combustion chamber design, used either singly or in clusters of up to eight.
| Country of origin | Britain |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Bristol Siddeley |
| Application | 1st stage booster |
| Predecessor | Armstrong Siddeley Stentor |
| Successor | Gamma 301 |
| Liquid-fuel engine | |
| Propellant | Hydrogen peroxide / kerosene |
| Mixture ratio | 8:1 (approx.) |
| Cycle | Gas-generator |
| Configuration | |
| Chamber | 4, gimballed in opposed pairs |
| Performance | |
| Thrust, sea-level | 16,400 lbf (73 kN) |
Black Knight tail showing engines | |
| Application | 1st stage booster |
|---|---|
| Predecessor | Gamma 201 |
| Successor | Gamma 8 |
| Liquid-fuel engine | |
| Propellant | Hydrogen peroxide / kerosene |
| Mixture ratio | 8:1 (approx.) |
| Cycle | Gas-generator |
| Configuration | |
| Chamber | 4, gimballed in opposed pairs |
| Performance | |
| Thrust, sea-level | 17,000–21,600 lbf (76–96 kN)-21,000 lbf (93 kN) |
| Specific impulse | 250 seconds (2.5 km/s) |
| Burn time | 120 seconds |
Gamma 2 rocket engine, used for the second stage | |
| Application | 2nd stage |
|---|---|
| Predecessor | Gamma 301 |
| Successor | Larch (rocket engine) |
| Liquid-fuel engine | |
| Propellant | Hydrogen peroxide / kerosene |
| Cycle | Gas-generator |
| Configuration | |
| Chamber | 2, extended |
| Performance | |
| Thrust, vacuum | 68.2 kN (15,300 lbf) |
| Thrust, sea-level | 64.60 kN (14,520 lbf) |
| Burn time | 113 seconds |
Gamma 8 rocket engine on Black Arrow 1st stage | |
| Application | 1st stage booster |
|---|---|
| Predecessor | Gamma 301 |
| Liquid-fuel engine | |
| Propellant | Hydrogen peroxide / kerosene |
| Cycle | Gas-generator |
| Configuration | |
| Chamber | 8, gimballed in pairs |
| Performance | |
| Thrust, sea-level | 52,785 lbf (234.80 kN) |
| Burn time | 125 seconds |
They were developed by Armstrong Siddeley in Coventry, which later became Bristol Siddeley in 1959, and finally Rolls-Royce in 1966.
Engine static testing was carried out at High Down Rocket Test Site, near The Needles on the Isle of Wight (50°39′38.90″N 1°34′38.25″W). (Spadeadam in Cumbria wasn't used for testing until Blue Streak, after Gamma).
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