US Aircraft Engine Production By Horsepower: 1940-45

US aircraft engine manufacturers responded to Allied military demands for greater performance, driving the rise in aircraft engine horsepower year over year. Increased horsepower led to most aircraft performance improvements during the war. Not only were the engines bigger but technology improvements such as superchargers and higher-octane fuel facilitated higher horsepower outputs in existing models.

US Aircraft Engine Production by Horsepower by Percentage — US aircraft engine horsepower (hp) trends from 1940 to 1945.

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Aircraft Engines the Core of Performance

Increased horsepower was the great aircraft performance driver of WWII. Increasing horsepower saw higher speed and load-carrying capabilities. For example, the B-17 Flying Fortress utilized the same Wright Cyclone R-1820, Radial 9 Engine (Cyclone 9) throughout the war. Originally, the Cyclone 9 engine was developed by Wright Aeronautical in 1927. The Cyclone 9 E Series reached the production stage in 1930 generating 575 horsepower (hp). During the war, Studebaker was licensed to produce the R-1820-97 G200 series. This model found its way onto the Boeing B-17F and B-17G models. The G200 series could generate 1,200 hp at 2,500 RPM with 100 octane-grade fuel and a turbosupercharger.

World War I Speed Performance

At the beginning of WWI, the only combat airplane to achieve a speed of 100 miles per hour was the Bristol Scout. England produced 370 of these biplane fighter/reconnaissance airplanes introduced into service in 1914. By the war’s end, the maximum speed of WWI propeller-driven military aircraft used in combat measured 149 miles per hour by the British Sopwith Dragon in 1918. England produced 200 of these biplane fighters.

Interwar Era Speed Performance

The interwar era, also known as aviation’s ‘Golden Era’, saw speed records fall by the wayside often several times in a single year. Aircraft were undergoing wholesale changes including increased engine power, aerodynamics, structure, and materials. Just prior to WWII’s start Germany’s Messerschmitt Me 209 V1 achieved 469 miles per hour on April 26, 1939. The Me 209 was designed and developed specifically as a racing aircraft.

World War II Speed Performance

Lockheed P-38 Lightning was introduced in 1939 with a maximum speed of 414 miles per hour. The United States produced 9,923 of these single-seat, twin-engine heavy fighter/fighter-bomber aircraft. The maximum speed of WWII propeller-driven military aircraft used in combat measured 472 miles per hour by the German Focke-Wulf Ta 152. Germany produced 43 of these single-seat, single-engine high-altitude fighter-interceptor aircraft in 1945.

Horsepower Percentages Transition Through the War Years

US aircraft engine horsepower trends from 1940 to 1945: Under 300 hp from 40.3% to 3.1%, 300-999 hp from 19.5% to 0.8%, 1000-1599 hp from 31.5% to 42.6%, and 1600 hp or higher from 8.6% to 53.5%.

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