Internal combustion engines, and in particular gas turbine engines, are well known and can take many different forms.
Gas turbine engines comprise a flow path defined by a compressor, combustor and a turbine. Gas accelerated by a combustion process passes through the turbine, and the turbine powers the compressor via a shaft, and hence the compressor is rotated to deliver a flow of air to the combustor and thus perpetuate a combustion cycle.
The number of components, including housings and ancillary equipment, mean that the resultant construction is complex and heavy.
Hence a combustion engine which is capable of producing thrust for propulsion or driving a turbine, which comprises fewer parts, and in particular fewer rotatable parts, is highly desirable.