The Wright R-2600 Cyclone 14 (also called Twin Cyclone) is an American

radial engine The radial engine is a reciprocating type internal combustion engine configuration in which the cylinders "radiate" outward from a central crankcase like the spokes of a wheel. It resembles a stylized star when viewed from the front, and is ...

developed by

Curtiss-Wright The Curtiss-Wright Corporation is a manufacturer and services provider headquartered in Davidson, North Carolina, with factories and operations in and outside the United States. Created in 1929 from the consolidation of Curtiss, Wright, and v ...

and widely used in aircraft in the 1930s and 1940s.

History

In 1935, Curtiss-Wright began work on a more powerful version of their successful R-1820 Cyclone 9. The result was the R-2600 Twin Cyclone, with 14 cylinders arranged in two rows. The R-2600-3 was originally intended for the

C-46 Commando The Curtiss C-46 Commando is a twin-engine transport aircraft derived from the Curtiss CW-20 pressurised high-altitude airliner design. Early press reports used the name "Condor III" but the Commando name was in use by early 1942 in company pub ...

(being fitted to the prototype CW-20A). It was also the original engine choice for the F6F Hellcat; a running change (one which would not stop production) for the CW-20A, and one in late April 1942 for the second XF6F-1, led to the adoption of the

Pratt & Whitney R-2800 The Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp is an American twin-row, 18-cylinder, air-cooled radial aircraft engine with a displacement of , and is part of the long-lived Wasp family of engines. The R-2800 saw widespread use in many important ...

Double Wasp in the R-2600's place for both designs. The Twin Cyclone went on to power several important American

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

aircraft, including the

A-20 Havoc The Douglas A-20 Havoc (company designation DB-7) is an American medium bomber, attack aircraft, night intruder, night fighter, and reconnaissance aircraft of World War II. Designed to meet an Army Air Corps requirement for a bomber, it was o ...

B-25 Mitchell The North American B-25 Mitchell is an American medium bomber that was introduced in 1941 and named in honor of Major General William "Billy" Mitchell, a pioneer of U.S. military aviation. Used by many Allied air forces, the B-25 served in ...

, TBF Avenger,

SB2C Helldiver The Curtiss SB2C Helldiver is a dive bomber developed by Curtiss-Wright during World War II. As a carrier-based bomber with the United States Navy (USN), in Pacific theaters, it supplemented and replaced the Douglas SBD Dauntless. A few survi ...

, and the

PBM Mariner The Martin PBM Mariner was an American patrol bomber flying boat of World War II and the early Cold War era. It was designed to complement the Consolidated PBY Catalina and PB2Y Coronado in service. A total of 1,366 PBMs were built, with the fi ...

. Over 50,000 R-2600s were built at plants in

Paterson, New Jersey Paterson ( ) is the largest city in and the county seat of Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line w ...

Variants

* R-2600-1 - 1,600 hp (1,194 kW) * R-2600-2 - 1,500 hp (1,118 kW)- Prototype variant; Few were made. * R-2600-3 - 1,600 hp (1,194 kW) * R-2600-4 - 1,650 hp (1,230 kW) * R-2600-6 - 1,600 hp (1,194 kW) * R-2600-8 - 1,700 hp (1,268 kW) * R-2600-9 - 1,700 hp (1,268 kW) * R-2600-10 - 1,700 hp (1,268 kW)- Experimental high-altitude R-2600 variant with a two-stage mechanical

supercharger In an internal combustion engine, a supercharger compresses the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to produce more power for a given displacement. The current categorisation is that a supercharger is a form of forced indu ...

, vs the usual single-stage supercharger. The 2600-10 also served as a testbed for turbo-supercharging the 2600 series. Very few were produced. * R-2600-11 - 1,600 hp (1,194 kW) * R-2600-12 - 1,700 hp (1,268 kW) * R-2600-13 - 1,700 hp (1,268 kW) * R-2600-14 - 1,700 hp (1,268 kW)- One of the engines which powered Grumman's prototype F6Fs, the XF6F-1 (the two-stage supercharged R-2600-10 was also tested in the XF6F-1). Grumman was not happy with the performance, which led to the 2,000 hp

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 ...

R-2800 The Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp is an American twin-row, 18-cylinder, air-cooled radial aircraft engine with a displacement of , and is part of the long-lived Wasp family of engines. The R-2800 saw widespread use in many important A ...

engine replacing the R-2600 on F6F production models. * R-2600-15 - 1,800 hp (1,342 kW)- Planned to power the XB-33A, a prototype model of the B-33 Super Marauder (itself a high-altitude version of the

B-26 Marauder The Martin B-26 Marauder is an American twin-engined medium bomber that saw extensive service during World War II. The B-26 was built at two locations: Baltimore, Maryland, and Omaha, Nebraska, by the Glenn L. Martin Company. First used in t ...

). The project was cancelled, and neither the prototype XB-33A or production B-33A were ever built.Andrade 1979, p 51 * R-2600-16 - 1,700 hp (1,268 kW)- Similar to the R-2600-10 & -14, the -16 powered a

Grumman The Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation, later Grumman Aerospace Corporation, was a 20th century American producer of military and civilian aircraft. Founded on December 6, 1929, by Leroy Grumman and his business partners, it merged in 1994 ...

prototype F6F, the XF6F-2.Thruelsen 1976, p 193 * R-2600-19 - 1,600 hp (1,194 kW), 1,660 hp (1,237 kW) * R-2600-20 - 1,700 hp (1,268 kW), 1,900 hp (1,420 kW) * R-2600-22 - 1,900 hp (1,420 kW) * R-2600-23 - 1,600 hp (1,194 kW) * R-2600-29 - 1,700 hp (1,268 kW), 1,850 hp (1,380 kW) * GR-2600-A5B - 1,500 hp (1,118 kW), 1,600 hp (1,194 kW), 1,700 hp (1,268 kW) * GR-2600-A71 - 1,300 hp (969 kW) * GR-2600-C14 - 1,750 hp (1,304 kW)

Applications

Boeing 314 Clipper The Boeing 314 Clipper was an American long-range flying boat produced by Boeing from 1938 to 1941. One of the largest aircraft of its time, it had the range to cross the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. For its wing, Boeing re-used the design fro ...

Brewster SB2A Buccaneer The Brewster SB2A Buccaneer was a single-engined mid-wing monoplane scout/bomber aircraft built by the Brewster Aeronautical Corporation for the Royal Air Force (RAF) and United States Navy between 1942 and 1944. It was also supplied to the Unit ...

Curtiss SB2C Helldiver The Curtiss SB2C Helldiver is a dive bomber developed by Curtiss-Wright during World War II. As a carrier-based bomber with the United States Navy (USN), in Pacific theaters, it supplemented and replaced the Douglas SBD Dauntless. A few surviv ...

Douglas A-20 Havoc The Douglas A-20 Havoc (company designation DB-7) is an American medium bomber, attack aircraft, night intruder, night fighter, and reconnaissance aircraft of World War II. Designed to meet an Army Air Corps requirement for a bomber, it was o ...

* Douglas B-23 Dragon *

Grumman F6F Hellcat The Grumman F6F Hellcat is an American carrier-based fighter aircraft of World War II. Designed to replace the earlier F4F Wildcat and to counter the Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero, it was the United States Navy's dominant fighter in the second ha ...

(XF6F-1 & -2 prototypes only, pre-April 1942) *

Grumman TBF Avenger The Grumman TBF Avenger (designated TBM for aircraft manufactured by General Motors) is an American World War II-era torpedo bomber developed initially for the United States Navy and Marine Corps, and eventually used by several air and naval a ...

* Lioré et Olivier LeO 451 * Martin Baltimore *

Martin PBM Mariner The Martin PBM Mariner was an American patrol bomber flying boat of World War II and the early Cold War era. It was designed to complement the Consolidated PBY Catalina and PB2Y Coronado in service. A total of 1,366 PBMs were built, with the fir ...

(versions prior to Double Wasp-powered PBM-5) * Miles Monitor *

North American B-25 Mitchell The North American B-25 Mitchell is an American medium bomber that was introduced in 1941 and named in honor of Major General William "Billy" Mitchell, a pioneer of U.S. military aviation. Used by many Allied air forces, the B-25 served in ...

* Vultee A-31 Vengeance

Specifications (GR-2600-C14BB)

References

Notes

Bibliography

* * * * *

External links

{{US military piston aeroengines 1930s aircraft piston engines Aircraft air-cooled radial piston engines

R-2600 The Wright R-2600 Cyclone 14 (also called Twin Cyclone) is an American radial engine developed by Curtiss-Wright and widely used in aircraft in the 1930s and 1940s. History In 1935, Curtiss-Wright began work on a more powerful version of their ...