The Wright J65-W-18 was an afterburning turbojet engine, which was used to power the Grumman F11F Tiger fighter aircraft. It could generate up to 7,450 lb of thrust and propel the aircraft to the maximum speed of Mach 1.2. It was a license-built version of the British Armstrong Siddeley Sapphire engine. Only 160 machines were produced between 1954 and 1958 in the United States.
The Wright J65-W-18 was an axial-flow type turbojet engine. It featured 13 compressor stages and 2 turbine stages, which rotated clockwise as viewed from the rear. The machine was equipped with an afterburner and a two-position convergent nozzle. An automatic control system for positioning the nozzle in afterburner mode was provided.
The Wright J65-W-18 had a four-element fuel pump, a self-contained lubricating system, and speed density type fuel control system. The rated thrust of the engine was as follows: a maximum thrust of 10,500 pounds; a military thrust of 7,450 pounds; and a normal thrust of 6,470 pounds. The fuel it burned was stored in a main and aft fuselage tanks.
Below, a photo of a cutaway Wright J65-W-18 on exhibition in a US Air Force museum.
A drawing of the F11F Tiger aircraft, showing the location of this turbojet engine in fuselage.
