Originally posted by Replicant:
Is the He177 the one with 2 engines within 1?
Nexx
Not exactly; the He177 carried two DB606, and from the A5 onwards, two DB610 engines.
The DB606 and DB610 consisted on two V12 engines mated to a common crankshaft. The DB606 consisted on two DB601 mated and the DB610 consisted on two DB603s.
This configuration was selected to reduce the drag of an 4-engined plane to that of a 2 engined one. Germany relied in speedy bombers instead of heavily armed ones, and the He177 was renowned to do attacks on the UK in a very soft dive, keeping some 400mph on the process.
To mate 2 engines into one was not an uncommon thing to do those days. (the problems attached to them: overheating, and inflight fires weren't strange either).
If I remember correctly the RAF did the same with the RR Vulture (two Kestrels mated) and the Napier Sabre (no idea on wich 2 engines mated in this one
). The avro Manchester was born with a similar concept as the He177, with two Vultures instead of four engines. We all know how did the Manchester perform, and how did the Lancaster (the four engine version) compare with it.
In fact a 4 engine version of the He177 existed, the He277, engined with four DB603s. Its tests were successfull, but the production never happened because the RLM shifted all the production available to fighters.
