@ jcfYes, I did mean Peregrine - bird of prey, flying horse, what's the difference?
The
Rolls Royce Pegasus is a turbofan used to power the Harrier family of aircraft.
Maybe I'm way off but just because it was old doesn't mean that there wasn't still development potential in the design, just maybe not as much as the Merlin. Maybe by finding a way to lighten it some more to give it better power to weight.
You also seem to be falling into the trap of "it worked this way, so this is the only way it will work" mentality.
Yes, the Japanese were masters at light-weight, agile air combat but the small, light aircraft pitted against them at the beginning of the war were underpowered for what weight they had. If similarly light designs had been available with more powerful engines Allied pilots may well have become the masters of light-weight, agile air combat & the whole history of the Pacific air war may have been totally different.
@ GregNo idea, really, although ease of maintenance comes to mind - which is why I suggested a radial option.
I was kind of thinking loosely along the lines of the last paragraph in my answer to jcf re: the possible scenario.