Westinghouse J32 Explained

The Westinghouse J32 was a small turbojet engine developed by the Westinghouse Aviation Gas Turbine Division in the mid-1940s.

Design and development

Development of the 9.5A (military designation J32-WE-2) began in late 1942, and Westinghouse delivered the first engine to the U.S. Navy in mid-1944. The Navy selected the 9.5A to power the Gorgon II-B and III-B air-to-air missiles, but these applications did not materialize.

An improved version, the 9.5B, powered the TD2N-1 Gorgon high-speed target drone, which successfully flew in 1945. The engine's high cost and continuing development delays led to the cancellation of the TD2N-1 program in 1946. Westinghouse manufactured 24 of the 9.5A and 20 of the 9.5B engines. Despite their limited use, they constituted the first family of small turbojet engines successfully developed and produced in the United States.^[1]

Variants

J32-WE-2:Military designation of the Westinghouse 9.5A

Westinghouse 9.5A: Company designation of the J32, denoting the diameter of the engine in inches

Westinghouse 9.5B: Company designation for the improved version of the 9.5A

Applications

• NAMU KDN-1 Gorgon high-speed target drone

Engines on display

A cutaway Westinghouse 9.5A/J32-WE-2 turbojet engine is on display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA. This engine lacks a serial number as it was assembled from spare parts and was transferred to the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center from the U.S. Department of the Navy, Bureau of Aeronautics.

Notes

• This article contains material that originally came from the placard at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.

Further reading

• Book: Christiansen, Paul J.. Early Westinghouse Axial Turbojets. Bleeg Publishing, LLC. Olney, Maryland, USA. 2019. 360–361 .
• Book: Leyes. Richard A. . Fleming. William A.. The History of North American Small Gas Turbine Aircraft Engines. 1999. Smithsonian Institution and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Reston, Virginia. 1-56347-332-1.
• Book: Kay, Anthony L.. Turbojet History and Development 1930-1960 Volume 2:USSR, USA, Japan, France, Canada, Sweden, Switzerland, Italy and Hungary . The Crowood Press. Ramsbury. 2007. 1st. 978-1861269393.
• Book: Wilkinson, Paul H.. Aircraft Engines of the world 1946. 1946. Sir Isaac Pitman & Sons. London. 276–277.

External links

• Web site: Westinghouse J32-WE-2 (9.5A) Turbojet Engine, Cutaway. Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. 1 January 2011.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Westinghouse J32-WE-2 (9.5A) Turbojet Engine, Cutaway, Motorized | National Air and Space Museum. airandspace.si.edu.