Pratt & Whitney Wasp Major R-4360-4A, Radial 28 Engine

Object Details

Physical Description: Type: Radial, 28 cylinders, 4 rows, aircooled; Power rating: 2,237 kW (3,000 hp) at 2,700 rpm; Displacement: 71.5 L (4,360 cu in); Bore and Stroke: 146 mm (5.8 in.) x 152 mm (6.0 in.); Weight: 1,538 kg (3,390 lb)
Summary: Pratt & Whitney Aircraft's last piston engine was the 28-cylinder R-4360. It was the largest piston engine that the company ever produced. The cylinders were in four rows, arranged in a spiral for better cooling. Later models developed 3207 kW (4,300 shp).; Although primarily known by its commercial designation as the Wasp Major, it mainly powered large American military aircraft, including late entry Boeing B-29s, Boeing B-50 and C-97, Douglas C-124, Fairchild C-119, and Convair B-36. It had only one well known civil application in the Boeing Stratocruiser, which was derived from the C-97 and B-50. The Wasp Major was a complex engine, with maintenance problems particularly significant in the B-36 that used six of these engines.; The R-4360-4 passed its military qualification test in January 1945. This Navy engine powered the: Goodyear F2G-1; Martin XBTM-1, AM-1, AM-2, XP4M-1, and JRM-2. The R-4360-4A powered the Hughes XF-11 and HFB-1 (H4) aircraft.

Credit Line: Transferred from the U.S. Air Force Armament Museum, Eglin AFB, Florida

Circa World War II

Dimensions: Overall: 3390lb. (1537.7kg); Other: 8 ft. 3/4 in. × 4 ft. 4 1/2 in. (245.7 × 133.4cm); Storage: 177.8 × 317.5 × 160cm (5 ft. 10 in. × 10 ft. 5 in. × 5 ft. 3 in.)

National Air and Space Museum

GUID (Link to Original Record): http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nv98d497169-cbec-4f4c-abf1-8a2408e739e3