Object Details
Manufacturer
Allison Division, General Motors Corporation
Designer
General Electric Aircraft Engines
Physical Description
Type: Turbojet
Thrust: 17,347 N (3,900 lb)
Compressor: Single-stage centrifugal
Combustor: 14 chambers
Turbine: Single-stage axial
Weight: 780 kg (1,720 lb)
Summary
In 1943, the Army asked GE to propose a 13,344 to 17,792 N (3,000 to 4,000 lb) thrust turbojet engine. GE's response was the I-40 (J33), a centrifugal-flow engine that could be produced in a short time, as well as the axial-flow TG-180 (J35), which required a longer development time. First off the block, the I-40 went into service in 1945 in America's first operational jet fighter, the Lockheed P-80A.
To meet wartime needs, production was licensed to the Allison Division of General Motors. When World War II ended, the Army Air Forces re-evaluated its production program, and turned over all post-war production of the J33 to Allison.
The J33 was GE's first turbojet engine of its own design, the last all-centrifugal-flow engine built by GE, and last used in U.S. military combat aircraft. The J33 powered many first generation U.S. military jet aircraft. This engine powered the Lockheed F-80C and TF-80C.
Credit Line
Transferred from the U.S. Air Force Museum, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
Date
Circa 1948
Inventory Number
A19600241000
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Type
PROPULSION-Turbines (Jet)
Materials
HAZMAT: Cadmium
Aluminum Alloy
Possible Copper Alloy
Ferrous Alloy
Natural Fiber Thread
Phenolic Resin
Rubber
Paint
Ink
Adhesive Tape
Solder
Dimensions
3-D: 279.4 × 142.9 × 124.5cm (9 ft. 2 in. × 4 ft. 8 1/4 in. × 4 ft. 1 in.)
Country of Origin
United States of America
See more items in
National Air and Space Museum Collection
Data Source
National Air and Space Museum
Link to Original Record
Record ID
nasm_A19600241000