Allison V-1710-85 & Drive Train for P-39Q

Published April 21, 2015

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DAYTON, Ohio -- Allison V-1710-85 engine displayed in the World War II Gallery at the National Museum of the United States Air Force. (U.S. Air Force photo)

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DAYTON, Ohio -- Drive train for P-39Q displayed in the World War II Gallery at the National Museum of the United States Air Force. (U.S. Air Force photo)

In the aircraft designer's search for better streamlining and higher speed, some aircraft were designed with the large and heavy engine mounted amidships and the propeller driven by an extension shaft that passed between the pilot's feet. This permitted the nose contours of the fuselage to be shaped to reduce drag. This arrangement also permitted a larger cannon to be mounted within the contours of the fuselage and fired through the propeller shaft.

The layout of the P-39 is shown here. It includes an Allison V-1710 engine, the drive shaft, the offset reduction gearbox and the Aeroproducts propeller. Aft-mounted engines were later employed on Bell's follow-on aircraft, the P-63 Kingcobra and later the larger Fisher P-75.

The V-1710 liquid-cooled engine shown here was first used by the Army Air Corps in 1932, and with later improvements, powered most Curtiss P-40 Warhawks, the twin-engine Lockheed P-38 Lightning, the early versions of the North American P-51 Mustang and as late as the 1950s, some F-82 Twin Mustangs.

TECHNICAL NOTES:
Model: V-1710-85
Type: 12-cylinder, liquid-cooled, V-type with single-stage, mechanically-driven supercharger
Displacement: 1,710 cu.in.
Weight: 1,445 lbs. (including drive shaft, gear box and propeller shaft)
Maximum rpm: 3,000
Maximum hp: 1,325
Cost: $11,810 (engine only)

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Related Fact Sheets

Lockheed P-38L Lightning

Bell P-39Q Airacobra

Curtiss P-40E Warhawk

North American P-51D Mustang

Bell P-63E Kingcobra

North American F-82B Twin Mustang

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Allison V-1710-85 & Drive Train for P-39Q

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