Wright R-1820

File:Wright R-1820 Engine.jpg

Curtiss-Wright R-1820 Cyclone radial

The Wright R-1820 Cyclone 9 was an American radial engine developed by Curtiss-Wright and widely used on 1930s through 1950s aircraft.

History

The R-1820 represented a further development of the Wright P-2 engine dating back to 1925. Featuring a greater displacement and a host of improvements, the R-1820 entered production in 1931. The engine remained in production well into the 1950s.

The R-1820 was built under license by Lycoming, Pratt & Whitney Canada and also, during World War II, by the Studebaker Corporation. The Soviet Union had purchased a license for the design, designated M-25, and the Shvetsov OKB was formed to further develop the engine.

The R-1820 was at the heart of many famous aircraft including the early Douglas airliners (prototype DC-1, the DC-2, earliest civilian versions of the DC-3, and the limited-production DC-5), B-17 Flying Fortress and SBD Dauntless bombers, the early versions of the Polikarpov I-16 fighter (as M-25), and the Piasecki H-21 helicopter.

The R-1820 also found limited use in armored vehicles in two forms. The G-200 was a 9-cylinder gas-burning radial that developed 900 hp @ 2,300 rpm and powered the M6 Heavy Tank. The Wright RD-1820 was converted to a diesel by Caterpillar Inc. as the D-200 and produced 450 hp @ 2,000 rpm in the M4A6 Sherman.

Models/Variants

Unit numbers ending in/with 'W' indicate engines fitted with water-methanol emergengy power boost system.

• R-1820-1 - 575 hp (429 kW)
• R-1820-80 - 700 hp (522 kW)
• R-1820-4 - 770 hp (574 kW)
• R-1820-33 - 775 hp (578 kW)
• R-1820-G102 - 775 hp (578 kW) , 1,200 hp (895 kW)
• R-1820-50 - 850 hp (634 kW)
• R-1820-45 - 930 hp (694 kW)
• R-1820-22 - 950 hp (708 kW)
• R-1820-34 - 950 hp (708 kW)
• R-1820-53 - 1,000 hp (750 kW)
• R-1820-G5 - 1,000 hp (750 kW)
• R-1820-G101 - 1,100 hp (820 kW)
• GR-1820-G102A - 1,100 hp (895 kW)
• R-1820-40 - 1,200 hp (895 kW)
• R-1820-60 - 1,200 hp (895 kW)
• R-1820-97 - 1,200 hp (895 kW), Fitted with turbosupercharger
• R-1820-G205A - 1,200 hp (895 kW)
• R-1820-62 - 1,350 hp (1,007 kW)
• R-1820-72W - 1,350 hp (1,007 kW) , 1,425 hp (1,063 kW)
• R-1820-86 - 1,425 hp (1,063 kW)
• R-1820-103 - 1,425 hp (1,063 kW)
• R-1820-82WA - 1,525 hp (1,137 kW)

File:Wright R-1820 Cyclone labeled.jpg

Curtiss-Wright R-1820 Cyclone with some labeled components.
Click image for a larger version.

Applications

Template:USA

• Boeing B-17
• Boeing C-75
• Brewster F2A
• Curtiss SBC Helldiver
• Curtiss SC Seahawk
• Curtiss-Wright CW-21
• Douglas A-33
• Douglas B-18
• Douglas DC-2
• Douglas DC-3 (DST, G-102 and G-202)
• Douglas DC-5
• Douglas SBD Dauntless
• Grumman AF Guardian
• General Motors FM-2 Wildcat
• Grumman Albatross
• Grumman J2F Duck
• Grumman S-2 Tracker
• Lockheed Lodestar
• Lockheed Hudson
• Martin B-10
• North American O-47
• North American P-64
• North American T-28 Trojan
• Piasecki H-21
• Ryan Fireball
• Sikorsky H-34 Chocktaw

Vehicles

• M6 Heavy Tank

References

• Bridgman, L, (ed.) (1998) Jane's fighting aircraft of World War II. Crescent. ISBN 0-517-67964-7
• The complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft cover Editors: Paul Eden & Soph Moeng, (Amber Books Ltd. Bradley's Close, 74-77 White Lion Street, London, NI 9PF, 2002, ISBN 0-7607-3432-1), 1152 pp.
• Aircraft Engines in Armored Vehicles. Retrieved on 2006-10-03.

Related contents

Related developments

• Wright Cyclone family
• Wright R-1300 Cyclone 7
• Wright R-2600 Cyclone 14
• Wright R-3350 Cyclone 18 (Duplex Cyclone)
• Shvetsov M-25

Comparable engines

• Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Wasp
• Pratt & Whitney R-2000

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Wright R-1820".