The Pratt & Whitney Canada JT15D is a small

turbofan The turbofan or fanjet is a type of airbreathing jet engine that is widely used in aircraft propulsion. The word "turbofan" is a portmanteau of "turbine" and "fan": the ''turbo'' portion refers to a gas turbine engine which achieves mechanic ...

engine built by Pratt & Whitney Canada. It was introduced in 1971 at thrust, and has since undergone a series of upgrades to just over thrust in the latest versions. It is the primary powerplant for a wide variety of smaller jet aircraft, notably

business jets A business jet, private jet, or bizjet is a jet aircraft designed for transporting small groups of people. Business jets may be adapted for other roles, such as the evacuation of casualties or express parcel deliveries, and some are used by pu ...

Design and development

When it first ran in 1967 the JT15D was rare among turbofan engines in that it uses a

centrifugal compressor Centrifugal compressors, sometimes called impeller compressors or radial compressors, are a sub-class of dynamic axisymmetric work-absorbing turbomachinery. They achieve pressure rise by adding energy to the continuous flow of fluid through t ...

as its high-pressure stage. About 70% of the air passing through the fan goes down the bypass duct. The JT15D-4 and later variants use a "booster" axial stage behind the fan which runs at the same speed as the fan and directs the remaining 30% of the air into the high-pressure compressor, after which it passes into a reverse-flow

annular combustor A combustor is a component or area of a gas turbine, ramjet, or scramjet engine where combustion takes place. It is also known as a burner, combustion chamber or flame holder. In a gas turbine engine, the ''combustor'' or combustion chamber is fe ...

. The hot gases flow through a high-pressure turbine that drives the centrifugal compressor, and a low-pressure turbine that drives the fan and booster. The engine was first run in August 1967 before being test flown on an

Avro Canada CF-100 Canuck The Avro Canada CF-100 Canuck (affectionately known as the "Clunk") is a Canadian twinjet interceptor/ fighter designed and produced by aircraft manufacturer Avro Canada. It has the distinction of being the only Canadian-designed fighter to e ...

in an underslung external test pod.

Variants

;JT15D-1:The first model was introduced to power the Cessna Citation I, then known as the Fanjet 500. Deliveries started in 1972, and eventually on 1,417 -1s were delivered. ;JT15D-1A: ;JT15D-1B: ;JT15D-4:Introduced in 1973, improving thrust to . The -4 was the primary engine for the

Cessna Citation II The Cessna Citation II are light corporate jets built by Cessna as part of the Citation family. Stretched from the Citation I, the Model 550 was announced in September 1976, first flew on January 31, 1977, and was certified in March 1978. Th ...

, and went on to find use on the Mitsubishi Diamond 1A, Aerospatiale Corvette and SIAI-Marchetti S.211. Eventually 2,195 engines of the -4 series were delivered. ;JT15D-4A: ;JT15D-4B: ;JT15D-4C: ;JT15D-4D: ;JT15D-5: Certified in 1983. The first versions delivered and were used on the Beechjet 400A and Cessna T-47A. Several minor versions were introduced, the -5A for the

Cessna Citation V The Cessna Citation V is a business jet built by Cessna. A stretched version of the Citation S/II, a Model 560 prototype flew in August 1987, it was certified on December 9, 1988, and delivered from April 1989; were delivered until 2011. The ...

, while the -5B powered the Beechcraft T-1A Jayhawk, the -5C the DASA Ranger 2000 and S-211A. ;JT15D-5A: ;JT15D-5B: ;JT15D-5C: ;JT15D-5D: Certified in 1993, increased thrust again, this time to . The -5D is used on the Cessna UC-35A and

Cessna Citation Ultra The Cessna Citation V is a business jet built by Cessna. A stretched version of the Citation S/II, a Model 560 prototype flew in August 1987, it was certified on December 9, 1988, and delivered from April 1989; were delivered until 2011. The ...

. ;JT15D-5F:

Applications

Aérospatiale Corvette The Aérospatiale SN 601 Corvette is a French business jet of the early 1970s developed and manufactured by aerospace manufacturer Aérospatiale. Sales of the type were disappointing, leading to only 40 Corvettes being constructed, including the ...

Alenia Aermacchi M-311 The Aermacchi M-345 is a turbofan-powered military trainer aircraft. It is a development of the SIAI-Marchetti S.211. Development Origins During 1997, Italian aircraft manufacturer Aermacchi acquired SIAI-Marchetti; this purchase included the ...

Boeing Bird of Prey The Boeing Bird of Prey was a black project aircraft, intended to demonstrate stealth technology. It was developed by McDonnell Douglas and Boeing in the 1990s.

* Beechcraft Beechjet 400 * Cessna Citation I *

/Ultra * EADS Barracuda *

Hawker 400 The Hawker 400 (also known as the Beechjet 400) is a light business jet. Initially designed and built by Mitsubishi, it has been further developed and updated by the Beech Aircraft Company, now part of Textron Aviation. It was produced over 3 ...

* Honda MH02 * Mitsubishi MU-300 Diamond * Northrop Grumman X-47A Pegasus *

Raytheon T-1 Jayhawk The Raytheon T-1 Jayhawk is a twin-engined jet aircraft used by the United States Air Force for advanced pilot training. T-1A students go on to fly airlift and tanker aircraft. The T-400 is a similar version for the Japan Air Self-Defense For ...

* Rockwell Ranger 2000 * Scaled Composites 401 * Scaled Composites ARES * SIAI-Marchetti S.211/Aermacchi S-211 * Sport Jet II * Stratos 716X

Specifications (JT15D-5D)

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Gunston, Bill. ''World Encyclopedia of Aero Engines''. Cambridge, England. Patrick Stephens Limited, 1989.

External links

PWC JT15D Product Overview page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pratt and Whitney Canada JT15D 1960s turbofan engines JT15D Medium-bypass turbofan engines Centrifugal-flow turbojet engines