The T31 engine was the first American turboprop engine to power an aircraft. It made its initial flight in the Consolidated Vultee XP-81 in December 1945. The T31 was mounted in the nose and a J33 turbojet engine mounted in the rear fuselage provided added thrust.
The T31 was also used on the Navy’s experimental XF2R-1, similarly powered by a turboprop/turbojet engine combination. The engine was to fly experimentally on a Curtiss XC-113 (a converted C-46), but the experiment was abandoned after the XC-113 was involved in a ground accident.
The T31 never achieved its planned output of 2,300 hp, and only 28 T31s were built. Even so, improved production turboprop engines were developed from the T31’s pioneering technology.
TECHNICAL NOTES:
Model: T-31-GE-3
Weight: 1,980 lbs.
Maximum engine rpm: 13,000
Maximum propeller rpm: 1,145
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