In jet engines, the U.S. and Britain are running a seesaw race for the title of the "most powerful" (see chart). Last week it looked as if Britain's De Havilland Engine Co., Ltd. had jumped out ahead; it announced a new engine, the Gyron, with a thrust "greater than that of any other known jet engine." Although performance figures were kept secret, airmen guessed that the Gyron is in the 15,000-Ib.-thrust class, compared to 10,000 to 12,000 Ibs. for the current model of Pratt & Whitney's J-57, which had been rated the world's most powerful.
The Gyron is an axial-flow engine, intended...