The BMW 132 was a nine-cylinder radial

aircraft engine An aircraft engine, often referred to as an aero engine, is the power component of an aircraft propulsion system. Most aircraft engines are either piston engines or gas turbines, although a few have been rocket powered and in recent years ma ...

produced by BMW starting in 1933.

Design and development

BMW took over a

license A license (or licence) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another party (licensee) as an element of an agreeme ...

for manufacturing air-cooled radial engines from

Pratt & Whitney Pratt & Whitney is an American aerospace manufacturer with global service operations. It is a subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies. Pratt & Whitney's aircraft engines are widely used in both civil aviation (especially airlines) and military av ...

on 3 January 1928. The nine-cylinder model Pratt & Whitney R-1690 Hornet was initially manufactured virtually unchanged under the designation BMW Hornet. Soon BMW embarked on its own development. The result was the BMW 132, essentially an improved version of the Hornet engine, that went into production in 1933. A number of different versions were built; aside from the

carburetor A carburetor (also spelled carburettor) is a device used by an internal combustion engine to control and mix air and fuel entering the engine. The primary method of adding fuel to the intake air is through the venturi tube in the main meteri ...

designs used mainly in civilian aircraft, versions with direct fuel injection were manufactured for the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German '' Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the '' Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabt ...

''. The engines had a displacement of and generated up to depending on model. The 132 found widespread use in the

transport Transport (in British English), or transportation (in American English), is the intentional movement of humans, animals, and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, land ( rail and road), water, cable, pipelin ...

role, remaining the primary powerplant of the

Junkers Ju 52 The Junkers Ju 52/3m (nicknamed ''Tante Ju'' ("Aunt Ju") and ''Iron Annie'') is a transport aircraft that was designed and manufactured by German aviation company Junkers. Development of the Ju 52 commenced during 1930, headed by German aero ...

for much of its life, turning the BMW 132 into one of the most important aircraft engines for civilian aircraft during the 1930s. Numerous pioneering flights were undertaken with the BMW 132. The most impressive was the first direct flight from

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitu ...

to New York in a four-engined Focke-Wulf 200 S-1 Condor. It covered the distance to

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

in 24 hours and 57 minutes on 10 August 1938. BMW 132 engine

Variants

;132A:725 PS (715 hp, 533 kW) ;132Dc:850 PS (838 hp, 625 kW) ;132De:880 PS (868 hp, 647 kW) ;132J/K:960 PS (947 hp, 706 kW) with higher rpm ;132N:865 PS (853 hp, 636 kW) ;132T:730 PS (720 hp, 537 kW) ;132W:1065 PS (1050 hp, 783 kW) ;ENMA Beta B-4 (Spanish license-built version):(9E-C29-775) (stroke , displacement )

Applications

* Arado Ar 196 * Arado Ar 197 * Blohm & Voss Ha 140 *

Blohm & Voss BV 141 The Blohm & Voss BV 141 was a World War II German tactical reconnaissance aircraft, notable for its uncommon structural asymmetry. Although the Blohm & Voss BV 141 performed well, it was never ordered into full-scale production, for reasons t ...

* Blohm & Voss BV 142 * Dornier Do 17P *

Fieseler Fi 98 The Fieseler Fi 98 was a prototype ground-attack aircraft produced by German aircraft manufacturer Fieseler as a rival to the Henschel Hs 123. Design and development Fieseler developed the model in response to the Reich Air Ministry specificati ...

Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor The Focke-Wulf Fw 200 ''Condor'', also known as ''Kurier'' to the Allies ( English: Courier), was a German all-metal four-engined monoplane originally developed by Focke-Wulf as a long-range airliner. A Japanese request for a long-range mariti ...

* Heinkel He 114 * Heinkel He 115 * Henschel Hs 123 *

IAR 38 The IAR 37 was a 1930s Romanian reconnaissance or light bomber aircraft built by Industria Aeronautică Română. Development The IAR 37 prototype was flown for the first time in 1937 to meet a requirement for a tactical bombing and reconnaissan ...

* Junkers W 34 *

* Junkers Ju 86 * Junkers Ju 90 * Junkers Ju 160

Specifications (BMW 132 Dc)

References

Bibliography

* *

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bmw 132 Aircraft air-cooled radial piston engines BMW aircraft engines 1930s aircraft piston engines