| R-1820 Cyclone | |
|---|---|
| |
| Curtiss-Wright R-1820 Cyclone Radial Engine | |
| Type | Radial engine |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | Wright Aeronautical |
| First run | 1930s |
| Major applications | Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress Curtiss P-36 Hawk Douglas B-18 Bolo Douglas DC-3 Douglas SBD Dauntless General Motors FM-2 Wildcat Sikorsky H-34 North American T-28 Trojan |
| Number built | 47,475[1] |
| Variants | Shvetsov M-25 |
| Developed into | Wright R-2600 Wright R-3350 |
The Wright R-1820 Cyclone 9 is an American radial engine developed by Curtiss-Wright, widely used on aircraft in the 1930s through 1950s. It was produced under license in France as the Hispano-Suiza 9VorHispano-Wright 9V, and in the Soviet Union as the Shvetsov M-25.
The R-1820 Cyclone 9 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, and the Shvetsov OKB was formed to metricate the American specification powerplant for Soviet government-factory production as the M-25, with the R-1820's general design features used by the Shvetsov design bureau for many of their future radials for the Soviet air forces through the 1940s and onwards. In Spain the R-1820 was license-built as the Hispano-Suiza 9VorHispano-Wright 9V.[2]
The R-1820 was at the heart of many famous aircraft including early Douglas airliners (the prototype DC-1, the DC-2, the first civil versions of the DC-3, and the limited-production DC-5), every wartime example of the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and Douglas SBD Dauntless bombers, the early versions of the Polikarpov I-16 fighter (as the M-25), and the Piasecki H-21 helicopter.
The R-1820 also found limited use in armoured vehicles. The G-200 variant developed 900 hp (670 kW) at 2,300 rpm and powered the strictly experimental M6 Heavy Tank.
The Wright R-1820 was converted to a diesel during World War II by Caterpillar Inc. as the D-200 and produced 450 hp (340 kW) at 2,000 rpm in the M4A6 Sherman.[3]
Notes: Unit numbers ending with W indicate engine variants fitted with water-methanol emergency power boost systems.
The Hispano-Suiza 9V is a licence-built version of the R-1820.[4]
Preserved Wright R-1820 engines are on display at the following museums:
Data from Jane's. [6]
Related development
Comparable engines
Related lists
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| Wright inline engines |
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| Lawrance radials |
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| Wright radials |
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| Turbojets |
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| Turboprops/turboshafts |
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| Ramjets |
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