Armstrong Siddeley Python Engine 

The Armstrong Siddeley Python was an early British turboprop engine designed and built by the British Armstrong Siddeley company.

Armstrong Siddeley had produced a successful range of low and mid power radial engines prior to World War II including the 5 cylinder Genet in 88 and 110HP versions, the 5 cylinder 165HP Mongoose, the 7 cylinder 235HP Lynx and Cheetah Engines, and the double row Leopard, Jaguar and Panther.

While all of the Armstrong Siddeley radial engines were named after "big cats" their post war jet engines were named after "snakes" and included the Viper engine developed for the GAF Jindervik, and the Double Mamba turboprop engine used in the Fairey Gannet anti submarine aircraft.

The Armstrong Siddeley company was formed in 1919 and was a British manufacturer of luxury cars and later, aircraft engines.
 In 1935 J D Siddeley was bought out by the Hawker Aircraft Company to form Hawker Siddeley and in 1960 the aircraft engine division was merged with Bristol Aero Engines to form Bristol Siddeley, which itself was taken over by Rolls Royce in 1966.
 

The Python turboprop engine was designed and built by Armstrong Siddeley and had evolved from the earlier axial flow ASX turbojet engine developed in 1943.  Its main use was in the  Westland Wyvern naval carrier-based heavy fighter, the turboprop engine replacing the Wyvern prototype's original Rolls Royce Eagle 22 piston engine. In this application, the Python was rated at 4,110  EHP.

The design started as an experimental pure-turbojet known as the  ASX, which started running in 1943. By this point other engine designs were already entering pre-production, and it seemed there was little need for the ASX in its existing form. The design was then modified into the turboprop layout with the addition of a second turbine stage, which was geared to the propeller.

Early flight-testing of the Python was carried out using Lancaster TW911 and later Lincoln RE339/G, each aircraft having the two outboard Merlins replaced by Pythons. Lincoln B.2 RF403 also had two Pythons similarly installed and was used for high-altitude bombing trials at Woomera South Australia, the Pythons being used to increase the ceiling of the Lincoln to reach heights from which tests could be carried out.

Interestingly the museum's recently acquired Avro Lincoln RF342 which was fitted with the cockpit of the "Python Lancaster" TW911 during its use with the RAF on Radar and communications equipment research.

The Museum's Python is assumed to be an engine associated with the operation of the Python Lincolns at Woomera.
 

  Engine Specifications