Counter-Rotating Propellers: A relic of Aviation History

Around the end of World War II and for some time afterward, aircraft manufacturers explored counter-rotating propeller engines. This was an innovative design that pushed propeller technology forward, but it also had drawbacks. Airplanes with this type of engine can still be seen flying today.

Although transport and military aircraft with turboprop propulsion are still common, those with counter-rotating propellers are rare. Though, experts at the time saw a significant advantage in counter-rotating propellers. They were shown to be 6% to 16% more efficient than conventional propellers. Additionally, the propellers in such a system could be smaller.

Conversely, these systems tend to be noisy, up to 30 dB louder in the axial direction. Much of this extra noise is at higher frequencies, which has limited their use in commercial aviation.

The Main Producers: Britain and the USSR

Several countries experimented with contra-rotating propellers in aircraft, but only Britain and the Soviet Union produced them in large numbers. Britain did so immediately after the war, and the soviets especially from the 1950s onward.

Among the most triumphant British contra-rotating propeller aircraft are the Rolls-Royce Griffon-powered Avro Shackleton and the Double Mamba Mk.101-powered Fairey Gannet. The Westland Wyvern seaplane also featured contra-rotating propellers, and some versions of the Supermarine Seafire and Spitfire were tested with them.

The most famous Russian aircraft with this design are the strategic bomber Tupolev Tu-95 “Bear” and the transport Antonov an-22.