The Rolls-Royce RB.53 Dart was a long-lived turboprop engine. First produced in the late 1940s, it powered the first Vickers Viscount maiden flight in 1948.It was still in production until the last F-27s and H.S 748's were produced in 1987.

Largely associated with the very successful Vickers Viscount medium range airliner it powered a number of other European and Japanese designs in the 1950s and 60s. The list includes:

• Armstrong Whitworth AW.660 Argosy medium-range transport (C Mk 1 variant)
• Avro 748 Feeder airliner
• Grumman Gulfstream I Executive/Passenger aircraft
• Breguet Alizé anti-submarine aircraft: Dart RDa 21 1950hp with water/methanol injection
• Fokker F.27 small airliner
• Handley Page Dart Herald small airliner
• Hawker Siddeley Andover military transport
• NAMC YS-11 short/medium range airliner (Japanese Aircraft)
• Some Douglas DC-3 transport aircraft have been upgraded to use Darts. DC-3's in BEA service which received this update were called Pionairs.

Power output was around 1,500 hp (1,120 kW) in early versions, and close to twice that in later versions, such as those which powered the NAMC YS-11 airliner.