12Y | |
---|---|
Type | V-12 piston aero engine |
National origin | France |
Manufacturer | Hispano-Suiza |
First run | 1932 |
Major applications | Dewoitine D.520 |
Developed from | Hispano-Suiza 12X |
Developed into | Hispano-Suiza 12Z |
The Hispano-Suiza 12Y was an aircraft engine produced by Hispano-Suiza for the French Air Force in the pre-WWII period. The 12Y became the primary French 1,000 hp (750 kW) class engine and was used in a number of famous aircraft, including the Morane-Saulnier M.S.406 and Dewoitine D.520. Its design was based on the earlier and somewhat smaller, 12X. A further development was under way, the 12Z, but ended due to the German occupation of France.
The 12Y was also produced under Hispano-Suiza licence in the Soviet Union as the Klimov M-100. This design later spawned the highly successful Klimov VK-105 series that powered the Yakovlev and Lavochkin fighters as well as the Petlyakov Pe-2 bomber. Licensed production of the early models was also undertaken in Czechoslovakia as the Avia HS 12Ydrs, and in Switzerland as the HS-77.
The 12Y was a fairly traditional in construction, a 36-litre water-cooled V-12 with the two cast aluminium cylinder banks set at 60 degrees to each other. The cylinder heads were not removable, instead the entire block could be quickly removed from the engine. This made it somewhat famous for being leak-proof, a design feature that was considered by other designers and almost became a part of the Rolls-Royce Merlin.