René Lorin (24 March 1877 – 16 January 1933) was a French aerospace engineer and inventor of the ramjet.[1]

René Lorin
Born24 March 1877
Died16 January 1933
OccupationEngineer
Engineering career
Significant designramjet

In 1908 Lorin patented, FR390256, the first subsonic ramjet design.[2] He published the principles of a ramjet in articles in the journal L'Aérophile from 1908[3][4][5] to 1913, expressing the idea that the exhaust from internal combustion engines could be directed into nozzles to create jet propulsion.[6][7] He could not test this invention since there was no way at the time for an aircraft to go fast enough for a ramjet to function properly.[8][9]

When René Leduc applied for a patent on a ramjet design in 1933, FR705648, he discovered Lorin's publications and tried to contact him, only to learn that he had recently died. Leduc thereafter paid homage to Lorin's work.[10]

René Lorin is a graduate of the École Centrale Paris.

References edit

German WW II research on Lorin RamJet [1]