When we think of Rolls-Royce, luxury cars usually come to mind. However, the company has also made significant contributions to the aviation industry with its aircraft engine manufacturing. One of their notable engines is the Rolls-Royce Dart turboprop engine, which was introduced in 1946. This engine combined the power of jet engines with the efficiency of propellers, making it a game-changer in the industry.

The Dart engine gets its name from the River Dart in the south of England, as Rolls-Royce traditionally names its products after British rivers. It played a key role in early commercial intercontinental travel and remained in production for an impressive 40 years. Initially used in the Vickers Viscount, it was later adopted by global manufacturers like Grumman, Fokker, Avro, and Breguet.

A turboprop engine is similar to a jet engine but features a conventional propeller at the front. The propeller draws air into the engine, which is then compressed and mixed with fuel in a combustion chamber. The resulting high-energy jet stream is expelled at the back of the engine. This design was particularly well-suited for medium-range aircraft like the Vickers Viscount. Notably, the Dart engine proved to be more fuel-efficient than regular jet engines, accumulating over 170 million hours of flight time during its long and successful tenure in commercial aviation.