Aircrafttotal Encyclopedia

Aircraft engines

The engines that made aircraft fly: radial and V12 piston engines, turbojets, turbofans and turboprops.

35engines
4types
4countries

About aircraft engines

Every aircraft needs an engine. The first aircraft flew with small piston engines; in the 1920s and 1930s the big air-cooled radials of Pratt & Whitney and Wright and the liquid-cooled V12s of Rolls-Royce made aircraft faster and stronger. From the 1940s the jet engine took over: first the turbojet, then the turbofan that powers almost every airliner and fighter today.

Choose an engine type below, or use the navbar menu Engines to see all engines of one maker.

EngineDesignationManufacturerFirst runTypeStatus
Pratt & Whitney R-1340 WaspR-1340Pratt & Whitney1925Nine-cylinder radial (R9)
Rolls-Royce MerlinRolls-Royce1933Liquid-cooled V12
Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double WaspR-2800Pratt & Whitney1937Eighteen-cylinder twin-row radial (R18)
Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp JuniorR-985Pratt & WhitneyNine-cylinder radial (R9)
Pratt & Whitney R-1535 Twin Wasp JuniorR-1535Pratt & WhitneyFourteen-cylinder twin-row radial (R14)
Pratt & Whitney R-1690 HornetR-1690Pratt & WhitneyNine-cylinder radial (R9)
Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Twin WaspR-1830Pratt & WhitneyFourteen-cylinder twin-row radial (R14)
Pratt & Whitney R-1860 Hornet BR-1860Pratt & WhitneyNine-cylinder radial (R9)
Pratt & Whitney R-2000 Twin WaspR-2000Pratt & WhitneyFourteen-cylinder twin-row radial (R14)
Pratt & Whitney R-2180-A Twin HornetR-2180-APratt & WhitneyFourteen-cylinder twin-row radial (R14)
Pratt & Whitney R-2180-E Twin Wasp ER-2180-EPratt & WhitneyFourteen-cylinder twin-row radial (R14)
Pratt & Whitney R-4360 Wasp MajorR-4360Pratt & WhitneyTwenty-eight-cylinder four-row radial
Pratt & Whitney J57J57Pratt & WhitneyAxial-flow turbojet
Pratt & Whitney J58J58Pratt & WhitneyTurbojet / ramjet hybrid
Pratt & Whitney JT3DJT3DPratt & WhitneyLow-bypass turbofan
Pratt & Whitney JT8DJT8DPratt & WhitneyLow-bypass turbofan
Pratt & Whitney JT9DJT9DPratt & WhitneyHigh-bypass turbofan
Pratt & Whitney TF30TF30Pratt & WhitneyAfterburning turbofan
Pratt & Whitney F100F100Pratt & WhitneyAfterburning turbofan
Pratt & Whitney F119F119Pratt & WhitneyAfterburning turbofan
Pratt & Whitney F135F135Pratt & WhitneyAfterburning turbofan
Pratt & Whitney Canada PW300PW300Pratt & Whitney CanadaTurbofan for business jets
Pratt & Whitney PW1000G“GTF (Geared Turbofan)”PW1000GPratt & WhitneyHigh-bypass geared turbofan
Pratt & Whitney PW1120PW1120Pratt & WhitneyAfterburning turbofan
Pratt & Whitney PW2000PW2000Pratt & WhitneyHigh-bypass turbofan
Pratt & Whitney PW4000PW4000Pratt & WhitneyHigh-bypass turbofan
Pratt & Whitney PW6000PW6000Pratt & WhitneyHigh-bypass turbofan
Engine Alliance GP7000GP7000Engine Alliance (General Electric & Pratt & Whitney)High-bypass turbofan
IAE V2500V2500International Aero EnginesHigh-bypass turbofan
Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6PT6Pratt & Whitney CanadaTurboprop / turboshaft
Wright R-1820 CycloneR-1820Wright AeronauticalNine-cylinder radial
Wright R-2600 Twin CycloneR-2600Wright AeronauticalFourteen-cylinder twin-row radial
Wright R-3350 Duplex-CycloneR-3350Wright AeronauticalEighteen-cylinder twin-row radial
Rolls-Royce PegasusRolls-RoyceVectored-thrust turbofan
Rolls-Royce TrentRolls-RoyceHigh-bypass three-shaft turbofan family