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WWII US Aircraft Engine Manufacturing Sites
This includes both reciprocating and jet engines.

Company Location Engine Quantities and Types Applications Remarks
Air Cooled Motors Syracuse, NY (178) O-805, (6,044) O-405 L-6, others  
Allison (GM) Indianapolis, IN (69,305) V-1710, V-3420, (297) J-33, (16) J-31 P-38,P-39, P-63, P-40, P-51, A-36, P-59, P-80 Cost was approximately $19,000 in WWII dollars.  Multiply by 12.5 for today's cost.
Buick (GM) Melrose, IL R-1830.  A portion of (74,198) total engines built by Buick.   B-24 In 1945 International Harvester (now Navistar) bought the plant for the production of 6 cylinder Diesel Engines.  It is still in production.

As of July 13, 1944 50,000 of the total engines had been built and they were all B-24 bound R-1830s.

Buick (GM) Flint, MI R-2000.  A very small portion of (74,198) total engines built by Buick.   Unknown This was a late WWII contract signed in April of 1944.  By the time the tooling was completed not many engines would have been built.
Chevrolet (GM) Tonawanda, NY (60,766) R-2800and R-1830 Various Returned to civilian V-8 automotive production after WW II and is still in operation.
Chrysler Chicago, IL (18,413) C-W R-3350 B-29 This plant was built from the ground up with the express purpose of producing the new R-3350 for the B-29 program.
Continental Muskegon, MI (797) V-1650, (23) I -1430, (11,828) R-670, (16,977) O-170, (5,100) R-1340, (19) R-975   Continental built license built engines from Rolls-Royce, Pratt & Whitney, and Wright along with its own designed engines.
Curtiss Wright Paterson, NJ (77,554) R-3350, R-2600, R-1820, R-975, R-760   Cost of a an R-2600 was approximately $16,500 and an R-1820 was approximately $10,000  in WWII dollars.  Multiply by 12.5 for today's cost.  50,00 employees.
Curtiss Wright Lockland, OH (61,940) R-3350, R-2600   Government built plant.  Unfortunately this plant has become synonymous with wartime shoddy workmanship, quality, corruption and shipping defective engines to the USAAF.  After WWII the plant was turned back over to the government and then in 1949 GE took it over for production of its J-47 jet engine. The plant still exists today as a GE jet engine plant.
Dodge (Chrysler) Chicago, IL (18,349) R-3350 B-29 This plant was built from the ground up with the express purpose of producing the new R-3350 for the B-29 program.  There is a book published by Chrysler after WWII that give a very good narration on this plant and is available.  More information is available at:
Ford Dearborn, MI (57,178) R-2800    
General Electric West Lynn, MA (40) J-33, (337) J-31, J-33 for P-80, J-31 for P-89  
General Electric Syracuse, NY (211) J-33 J-33 for P-80,  
Jacobs Pottstown, PA (5,759) R-915, (14,746) R-755, R-985, R-1340 AT-17, T-50, UC-78  The company produced a total of 32,160 engines.
Kinner Motors Glendale, CA (2,356) R-540, (802) R-440 R-740 for PT-22, PT-25 and R-440 for PT-20, PT-24  
Lycoming Williamsport, PA (12,476) R-680, (12,395) O-435, O-290, O-235, O-145, (4) H-2470 L-5 and others  
Menesco Burbank, CA (525) L-365    
Nash-Kelvinator Kenosha, WI (17,012) R-2800 F4U(R-2800-8), F6F(R-2800-10), P-61(R-2800-65) Production of the R-2800 actually began in the former Reo Truck plant at Mt. Hope Ave and Washington Street in Lansing, MI in late 1941.  However, due to increased production demand for both Hamilton-Standard Propellers also being built by by Nash-Kelvinator in Lansing the engine manufacture was transferred to Kenosha, WI and Lansing concentrated on propeller production. 
In Kenosha the Defense Plant Corporation spent $31.4 on a new 204,800 square foot plant and equipment to produce the Double Wasp engine.  An average of 9,125 employees worked at the plant during the war with peak employment reaching 11,500.  See more at:  Engine Production
Naval Aircraft Factory Philadelphia, PA (1,385) R-975, R-760    
Packard   (54,714) V-1650 See below for more Packard engine information Returned to civilian automotive production and went out of business in 1956 when it could not get bank financing for the new model year.
Pratt-Whitney East Hartford, CT (122,302) R-2800, R-1830, R-1340, R-985   Still operating today.  The company also built R-1535, 1690, 2000 and 4360 engines.
Pratt-Whitney Kansas City, MO (7,815) R-2800 Various This was a 3 million square foot facility that was built on a former race car track with production starting in 1943 and ending in 1945.  After WWII it was re-opened and used by Westinghouse to produce jet engines and then later Bendix utilized it for the manufacture of nuclear weapons parts.  The plant is now run by Honeywell after it was acquired by Allied-Signal and assembles 85% of the non nuclear parts for the bombs. This complex today is called the Bannister Federal Complex, is the area's third largest employer with 2,500 employees and will be moving to a new facility 8 miles away in 2014.
Ranger Farmingdale, NY (2,748) V-770; (11,617) L-440 AT-21, PT-19, PT-26  
Studebaker South Bend, IN (63,789) R-1820 B-17 Studebaker was a prime provider of powerplants for the B-17 and its advertising during the war emphasized its role in this endeavor.
Warner Detroit, MI (184) R-550, (1,704)R-500, (127) R-420 R-550 for R-4  
Waukesha Waukesha, WI 45 O-805    

 

Packard Merlin Engine Usage in WWII

Most sources available are claiming that Packard built over 16,000 Rolls-Royce Merlin engines during WWII, which is true but grossly misleading.  The expression "over 16,000" implies that the number built is between 16,000 and 17,000.  This totally under states by over three times the contribution to the war effort by Packard, which produced 54,714 engines, as referenced from: United States Army in World War II - Special Studies - Buying Aircraft:  Material Procurement for the Army Air Forces by Irving Brinton Holley, Jr.  This was last published by The Center of Military History, United States Army, Washington, D.C. in 1989 and is the source for not only engines but aircraft produced for the US Army during WWII.

Another way to look at this is to determine how many engines were required just to meet the demands of the aircraft the Packard Rolls-Royce went into.  We have done that analysis below and determined that Packard (and Continental, as it also produced 797 V-1650 engines) needed to supply just short of 22,000 engines just to get the aircraft listed below out of the factories they were built in.  This does not take into consideration the world wide supply network that was required to keep the aircraft flying.  When an engine went out on an aircraft in WWII, unless it was considered to be minor and repairable in a short time, it was more expedient to pull the engine, return it to the repair depot, and replace it with a new or rebuilt engine.

Packard also took the V-1650 Merlin, which was essentially a hand built and hand fitted engine at Rolls-Royce in England and made it into mass produced with interchangeable parts in the US.

Cost was approximately $25,000 in WWII dollars.  Multiply by 12.5 for today's cost.

Manufacturer Aircraft Aircraft
Quantity
Engines
per Aircraft
Total Engines Required Comments
Canadian Car and Foundry Lancaster 430 4 1,720  
Canadian Car and Foundry Hurricane MK X 1,291 1 1,291  
Curtiss P-40F 1,082 1 1,082  
Curtiss P-40L 600 1 600  
DeHavilland-Canada Mosquito 1,133 2 2,266  
North American P-51 13,903 1 13,903  
Supermarine Spitfire MK XVI 1,054 1 1,054  
Total OEM Engines required 21,916  

Packard WWII Aircraft Engine Production

Packard Designation RR Equivalent Application Comments
Merlin 28 Merlin XX Lancaster III, Canadian Lancaster X R.M. 3 S.M. Single Stage 2 Speed Blower
Merlin 29 Merlin XX Canadian Hurricane  
Merlin 31 Merlin 21 Canadian Mosquito Reversed Coolant Flow
Merlin 33 Merlin 23 Canadian and Australian Mosquito  
Merlin 38 Merlin 22 Lancaster III, Canadian Lancaster X  
Merlin T38 Merlin 22 Lancaster III, Canadian Lancaster X Modified Packard 38
Merlin 68 Merlin 85 Lincoln II R.M. 10 S.M. Two Stage 2 Speed Blower Merlin 67 which was similar to the V-1650-7
Merlin 69 Merlin 67 Canadian and Australian Mosquito  
Merlin 224 Merlin 24 Lancaster III, Canadian Lancaster X R.M. 3 S.M. Single Stage 2 Speed Blower
Merlin 225 Merlin 25 Canadian and Australian Mosquito  
Merlin 266-P Merlin 66 Spitfire16LF R.M. 10 S.M. Two Stage 2 Speed Blower
Merlin 300 Merlin 100 Lincoln R.M. 14 S.M.
Merlin 301 Merlin 100 Lincoln R.M. 14 S.M. Reversed Coolant Flow
V-1650-1 Merlin XX P-40F Warhawk Single Stage 2 Speed Blower
V-1650-3 Merlin 61 P-51B/C, CA-17 MK 20 Mustang Also served as replacement for P-51D and V-1650-7
V-1650-5   P-63 Kingcobra Not produced.  (Now this would have been one high performing aircraft!!)
V-1650-7   P-51D/K, CA-18 MK 21 Mustang R.M. 10 S.M.
V-1650-9   P-51H R.M. 16 S.M.
V-1650-9A   P-51M(1), P-51D R.M. 16 S.M.  Also served as replacement for P-51D and V-1650-7
V-1650-11   P-51L (Cancelled), XP-82 R.M. 16 S.M.
V-1650-13     Not produced.  Modification of V-1650-3 to use Simmonds boost control.
V-1650-15     Not produced.  Modification of V-1650-3 to use Simmonds boost control.
V-1650-17     Not produced.  Modification of V-1650-3 to use Simmonds boost control.
V-1650-19     Not produced.
V-1650-21   XP-82 Same as V-1650-11 but with left hand prop rotation
V-1650-23   P-82B/C/D Same as V-1650-11
V-1650-25     Same as V-1650-23 but with left hand prop rotation but with left hand prop rotation

WWII Aircraft Manufacturing Sites-Home   Canada Aircraft  US Aircraft   US Cross Reference  US Airships  US Engines   USA Gliders   Propellers  Plant Photos  US WWII Aircraft Costs   WWII Aircraft Manufacturers' Literature   US Aircraft Assembly Plant Numbers   US Aircraft Modification Centers
 

 

 


 
Home  Indiana Museums    Indiana Tanks on Outside Display   The Beginning    Revisions   First Flight of P-38F Glacier Girl  
USS Theodore Roosevelt    WWII Aircraft Manufacturing Sites    Gateguards
 2007 Airshows   2008 Airshows  22009 Airshows   2010 Airshows    2011 Airshows    2012 Airshows   2013 Airshows   2014 Airshows    2015 Airshows  2016 Airshows    2017 Airshows    2018 Airshows  
2019 Airshows   2020 Airshows   2021 Airshows   2022 Airshows   2023 Airshows   2024 Airshows
Aviation Museums of the Pacific Northwest
   Display Helicopter Locations   CAL FIRE   PV-2 Harpoon Photos     F6F Hellcat Photos
   Warbird Sightings   WWII US Air-Air Victories   Guest Photos    Indiana Warbirds   Featured Photos  Other Items   Links

Historic Sites   Historic Forts   Historic Texas Independence Sites   Pre-Historic Sites   Historic Manhattan Project Sites   GM Heritage Center


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