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 9V or Hispano-Wright 9V, and in the Soviet Union as the
Shvetsov M-25.
Design and development
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
ShvetsovOKB 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 9V or Hispano-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.
D-200 Diesel
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]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wright R-1820.
Bridgman, L, (ed.) (1998) Jane's Fighting Aircraft of World War II. Crescent.
ISBN0-517-67964-7.
Conners, Chris (2013).
"Medium Tank M4 Sherman". American Fighting Vehicle Database. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
Eden, Paul & Soph Moeng, The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft. Amber Books Ltd. Bradley's Close, 74-77 White Lion Street, London, NI 9PF, 2002,
ISBN0-7607-3432-1.
Gunston, Bill. World Encyclopedia of Aero Engines: From the Pioneers to the Present Day. 5th edition, Stroud, UK: Sutton, 2006.
ISBN0-7509-4479-X
White, Graham. Allied Aircraft Piston Engines of World War II: History and Development of Frontline Aircraft Piston Engines Produced by Great Britain and the United States During World War II. Warrendale, Pennsylvania: SAE International, 1995.
ISBN1-56091-655-9