Fairey is strongly associated with the Bristol Pegasus, though it used Rolls-Royce and Armstrong Siddeley engines more often. The Pegasus radial was mechanically reliable and air-cooled, avoiding the separate radiator used by inline liquid-cooled engines. At about 1,111 pounds dry, it formed a large share of the Swordfish's roughly 4,195-pound empty weight. The comparison shows why power-to-weight ratio mattered: engine mass competed with the structure, fuel, crew, and payload that the aircraft also had to carry.
Notable Point · 24:03-28:23
Why engine weight governs naval aircraft performance
The Bristol Pegasus and Fairey Swordfish show how engine mass, reliability, cooling, and power-to-weight ratio constrain an aircraft.