Gnome Lambda

The Gnome 7 Lambda was a French designed, seven-cylinder, air-cooled rotary aero engine that was produced under license in Britain and Germany. Powering several World War I-era aircraft types it was claimed to produce 80 hp from its capacity of 12 L although recorded figures are lower.

Just under 1,000 units were produced in Britain, the majority (967) by the Daimler Company of Coventry. A 14-cylinder variant was known as the Gnome 14 Lambda-Lambda.

In Germany Motorenfabrik Oberursel license-built the seven-cylinder engine as the Oberursel U.0 and later copied the 14-cylinder design and designated it as the Oberursel U.III.

Variants

 * Gnome 7 Lambda
 * Seven-cylinder, single-row rotary engine.


 * Gnome 7 Lambda (long stroke)
 * Increased stroke of 145 mm to raise the compression ratio to 3.87:1, and total displacement to 12.26 L.


 * Gnome 14 Double Lambda
 * 14-cylinder, two-row rotary engine using Lambda cylinders. 160 hp.


 * Motorenfabrik Oberursel U.0
 * German production of the Gnome 7 Lambda – had a 124 mm cylinder bore and 140 mm piston stroke for a total displacement of 11.52 L, external diameter of 1.020 m.


 * Motorenfabrik Oberursel U.III: :German production of the Gnome 14 Double Lambda

Applications
List from Lumsden



Gnome 7 Lambda

 * Avro 504
 * Blackburn Type I
 * Borel hydro-monoplane
 * Blériot Parasol
 * Blériot XI
 * Bristol Boxkite
 * Bristol Gordon England G.E.3
 * Bristol-Coanda Monoplanes
 * Bristol Coanda T.B.8
 * Bristol Coanda P.B.8
 * Bristol Scout
 * Caudron G.III
 * Deperdussin Type B
 * Dunne D.8
 * Henry Farman F.20
 * Grahame-White Type XV
 * London & Provincial 4
 * Lowe Marlburian
 * Nieuport IVG
 * Nieuport 10
 * Nieuport-Macchi Parasol
 * Radley-England Waterplane
 * Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.3
 * Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.4
 * Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.8
 * Royal Aircraft Factory B.S.1
 * Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.2
 * Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.2
 * Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.4
 * Short S.37
 * Short S.38
 * Short S.41
 * Short S.60
 * Short S.70
 * Sikorsky S-7
 * Sopwith Gordon Bennett Racer
 * Sopwith Pup
 * Sopwith Sociable
 * Sopwith Tabloid
 * Sopwith Three-Seater
 * Vickers No.8 Monoplane

Gnome 14 Lambda-Lambda

 * Avro 510
 * Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.4
 * Deperdussin Monocoque
 * Fokker D.III
 * Fokker E.IV
 * Paul Schmitt P.S.3
 * Short S.63
 * Short S.64
 * Short S.70
 * Short S.74
 * Short S.80
 * Short S.81
 * Short S.82

Survivors
An original Gnome 7 Lambda engine is installed in the Sopwith Tabloid replica aircraft on display in the Grahame-White hall of the Royal Air Force Museum London.