Pratt & Whitney J48

J48
A Pratt & Whitney J48
Type Turbojet
Manufacturer Pratt & Whitney
Major applications Grumman F9F Panther
Grumman F-9 Cougar
Lockheed F-94 Starfire
Number built 4,108
Developed from Rolls-Royce RB.44 Tay

The Pratt & Whitney J48 (company designation JT7) is a turbojet engine developed by Pratt & Whitney as a license-built version of the Rolls-Royce Tay. The Tay/J48 was an enlarged development of the Rolls-Royce Nene (Pratt & Whitney J42).

Design and development

In 1947, at the behest of the United States Navy, Pratt & Whitney entered into an agreement to produce the Rolls-Royce Nene centrifugal-flow turbojet engine under license as the J42 (company designation JT6), for use in the Grumman F9F Panther fighter aircraft.[1] Concerned that the Nene would not have the potential to cope with future weight growth in improved versions of the Panther, Luke Hobbs, vice president of engineering for P&W's parent company, the United Aircraft Corporation, requested that Rolls-Royce design a more powerful engine based on the Nene, which Pratt & Whitney would also produce.

By 1948, Rolls-Royce had designed the Tay turbojet, also a centrifugal-flow design. However, as Rolls-Royce was then developing an improved design with an axial compressor, which would become the Avon, the development and production of the Tay turbojet was left to Pratt & Whitney.[1][2] However, Rolls-Royce retained the rights to the Tay outside of the United States.

The Tay/J48 was a thirty percent enlargement of the preceding Nene/J42, and was produced both with and without afterburning.[2]

Operational history

Several aircraft types used the J48 engine during the 1950s, including the Grumman F9F-5 Panther.[3] and Grumman F9F-6/F9F-8 Cougar,[4] The U.S. Air Force's Lockheed F-94C Starfire[5] and North American YF-93 used afterburning versions of the J48 engine.[6]

Variants

Data from The Engines of Pratt & Whitney: A Technical History.[7]

Applications

Specifications (J48-P-8A)

A Pratt & Whitney J48 with afterburner

Data from The Engines of Pratt & Whitney: A Technical History.[7]

General characteristics

Components

Performance

See also

Related development


Related lists

References

Notes
  1. 1.0 1.1 Connors, p.202
  2. 2.0 2.1 Gunston 2006, p.195.
  3. F9F Panther, U.S. Navy Historical Office. Accessed 2011-01-06.
  4. Bishop and Chant 2004, p. 154
  5. RAF Flying Review "TECHNICAL GEN" authors: staff, September 1962 page 59
  6. North American YF-93A. National Museum of the US Air Force fact sheet. Accessed 2011-01-06
  7. 7.0 7.1 Connors, p.210
Bibliography
  • Bishop, Chris; Chris Chant (2004). Aircraft Carriers: The world's greatest naval vessels and their aircraft. Minneapolis, MN: Zenith Press. ISBN 978-0-7603-2005-1.
  • Connors, Jack (2010). The Engines of Pratt & Whitney: A Technical History. Reston. Virginia: American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. ISBN 978-1-60086-711-8.
  • Gunston, Bill (2006). World Encyclopedia of Aero Engines, 5th Edition. Phoenix Mill, Gloucestershire, England, UK: Sutton Publishing Limited. ISBN 0-7509-4479-X.
  • Kay, Anthony L. (2007). Turbojet History and Development 1930-1960 Volume 2:USSR, USA, Japan, France, Canada, Sweden, Switzerland, Italy and Hungary (1st ed.). Ramsbury: The Crowood Press. ISBN 978-1861269393.

External links

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