Pratt & Whitney R-2800

The Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp was an aircraft engine, and part of the long-lived Wasp family. It was a two-row, 18-cylinder, air-cooled radial design. Displacement was 2,804 cubic inches (46 liters); bore and stroke were 5.75" and 6".

The R-2800 is considered one of the premier radial piston engines ever designed. It became legendary when used in several important American fighter aircraft during World War II, notably the US Navy's F4U Corsair and Grumman F6F Hellcat and the US Army Air Force's P-47 Thunderbolt. During the war years, Pratt & Whitney were always coming up with new ideas to upgrade this already powerful workhorse, most notably water injection to give emergency power in combat.

After World War II, the engine was used in the Korean War, and surplus World War II aircraft powered with the Double-Wasp served with other countries well past the Korean War, some being retired as late as the latter part of the 1960s when the aircraft were replaced. The R-2800 also powered post-war propliners from Douglas, Lockheed and Martin. Today, more than 60 years after the first Double Wasp was built, it is still used in many restored vintage aircraft in air shows, and sees frequent service worldwide on such aircraft as the Canadair CL215 water-bomber.

Models

* R-2800-5: 1,850 hp (1,379 kW)
* R-2800-S14A-G: 1,850 hp (1,379 kW)
* R-2800-2SB-G: 1,850 hp (1,379 kW)
* R-2800-9: 2,000 hp (1,491 kW)
* R-2800-10: 2,000 hp (1,491 kW)
* R-2800-21: 2,000 hp (1,491 kW)
* R-2800-27: 2,000 hp (1,491 kW)
* R-2800-31: 2,000 hp (1,491 kW)
* R-2800-39: 2,000 hp (1,491 kW)
* R-2800-41: 2,000 hp (1,491 kW)
* R-2800-43: 2,000 hp (1,491 kW)
* R-2800-51: 2,000 hp (1,491 kW)
* R-2800-65: 2,000 hp (1,491 kW)
* R-2800-71: 2,000 hp (1,491 kW)
* R-2800-79: 2,000 hp (,1491 kW)
* R-2800-34: 2,100 hp (1,567 kW)
* R-2800-54: 2,100 hp (1,567 kW)
* R-2800-83: 2,100 hp (1,567 kW)
* R-2800-10W: 2,200 hp (1,640 kW)
* R-2800-75: 2,200 hp (1,640 kW)
* R-2800-8W: 2,250 hp (1,677 kW)
* R-2800-30W: 2,250 hp (1,677 kW)
* R-2800-65W: 2,250 hp (1,677 kW)
* R-2800-21W: 2,300 hp (1,700 kW)
* R-2800-59: 2,300 hp (1,700 kW)
* R-2800-22W: 2,400 hp (1,789 kW)
* R-2800-34W: 2,400 hp (1,789 kW)
* R-2800-48W: 2,400 hp (1,789 kW)
* R-2800-CB16: 2,400 hp (1,789 kW)
* R-2800-18W: 2,450 hp (1,827 kW)
* R-2800-32(E): 2,450 hp (1,827 kW)
* R-2800-59W: 2,500 hp (1,890 kW)
* R-2800-103W: 2,500 hp (1,890 kW)
* R-2800-57: 2,800 hp (2,090 kW)
* R-2800-57C: 2,800 hp (2,090 kW)
* R-2800-73: 2,800 hp (2,090 kW)
* R-2800-77: 2,800 hp (2,090 kW)

R-2800-57C

This is the engine specified for P-47M and P-47N. The engine specs reveal a "C" crankcase with the Bendix Scintilla DF-18LN magneto. So, it should have the late-style barrel shaped/bolted gear reduction unit with two octagonal distributors (10:30 and 1:30 position) and a single dual magneto (at 12:00). The distribution harness was the square-section cast version. (Visually identical to the engine(s) in the F4U-4, F7F or F8F and some P-61C). The engine also used a single stage, single speed supercharger (due to the P-47's use of a turbocharger), and a downdraft Bendix/Stromberg carburetor sitting at the top of the auxiliary section.

pecifications (R-2800-54)

pistonspecs

type=18-cylinder air-cooled two-row radial engine with water injection
bore=5.75 in (146 mm)
stroke=6 in (152 mm)
displacement=2,804 in³ (46 L)
length=
diameter=52.8 in (1342 mm)
width=
height=
weight=2,360 lb (1,073 kg)
valvetrain=Poppet, two valves per cylinder
supercharger=Variable-speed (in F8F-2, unified with throttle via AEC automatic engine control), single stage single speed centrifugal type supercharger
turbocharger=
fuelsystem=One Stromberg injection carburetor
fueltype=100/130 octane gasoline
oilsystem=
coolingsystem=Air-cooled
power=2,100 hp (1,567 kW)
specpower=0.75 hp/in³ (34.1 kW/L)
compression=
fuelcon=
specfuelcon=
oilcon=
power/weight=0.89 hp/lb (1.46 kW/kg)

Aircraft usage

A partial list of aircraft that were powered by the R-2800 (and a few prototypes that utilized it at one point) includes the
* AJ Savage/A-2 Savage
* AF Guardian
* B-26 Marauder
* C-46 Commando
* C-82 Packet
* C-123 Provider
* CH-37 Mojave
* Canadair CL-215
* Convair 240, 340 and 440
* Douglas A-26 Invader
* Douglas DC-6
* F4U Corsair
* F6F Hellcat
* F7F Tigercat
* F8F Bearcat
* Howard 500
* P-47 Thunderbolt
* P-61 Black Widow
* Lockheed Ventura/B-34 Lexington/PV-1 Ventura/PV-2 Harpoon
* Martin 2-0-2, 4-0-4
* SB2A-1 Buccaneer/A-32/Bermuda
* TBY Sea Wolf
* Vickers Warwick - some Marks, others used Bristol engines
* Vultee XA-19B
* XB-28 Dragon
* Curtiss XF15C
* XP-56 Black Bullet
* XP-60

Related contents

Related development
* Pratt & Whitney Wasp series
* R-1340 Wasp
* R-985 Wasp Junior
* R-1830 Twin Wasp
* R-1535 Twin Wasp Junior
* R-2000
* R-4360 Wasp Major

Comparable engines
* Bristol Centaurus
* Wright R-2600

References

External links

* http://www.pratt-whitney.com/pratt/web/index90a5.html
* http://www.enginehistory.org/r-2800.htm