General Electric J47
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The J47 turbojet was developed from the earlier J35 engine, and first flew in May 1948. The J47 was the first axial-flow turbojet approved for commercial use in the United States. It was used in many types of aircraft, and more than 30,000 were manufactured before production ceased in 1956. It saw continued service in the US military until 1978.
Aircraft that used this engine include:
- B-36 by Convair
- B-45 Tornado
- B-47 Stratojet
- F-86 Sabre
- KB-50J (a B-50 Superfortress variant)
- KC-97 Stratotanker
- XB-29G (a B-29 Superfortress variant)
- XB-51 by Martin
- XF-87 Blackhawk
- XF-91 Thunderceptor
Non-flying vehicles that used the engine include:
[edit] Nuclear-powered version
In the 1950s, the J47 became the basis for a GE program to develop a nuclear-powered jet engine, the X-39 as part of the Aircraft Nuclear Program. This system consisted of two modified J47 engines which, instead of combusting jet fuel, received their heated, compressed air from a heat exchanger that was part of the Heat Transfer Reactor Experiment (HTRE) reactor. The X-39 was successfully operated in conjunction with three different reactors, the HTRE-1, HTRE-2 and HTRE-3. Had the program not been cancelled, these engines would have been used to power the proposed Convair X-6.
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