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The
General Electric J85 is a small single-shaft
turbojet engine. Military versions produce up to 2,950
lbf (13 kN) of thrust dry,
afterburning variants can reach up to 5,000 lbf (22 kN). The engine, depending upon additional equipment and specific model, weighs from 300 to 500 pounds (140 to 230 kg). It is one of GE's most successful and longest in service military jet engines, the civilian versions having logged over 16.5 million hours of operation. The
United States Air Force plans to continue using the J85 in aircraft through 2040. Civilian models, known as the
CJ610, are similar but supplied without an afterburner, while the
CF700 adds an uncommon rear-mounted fan for improved
fuel economy.
Design and development
The J85 was originally designed to power a large decoy aircraft, the
McDonnell ADM-20 Quail. The Quail was designed to be released from a
B-52 Stratofortress in-flight and fly for long distances in formation with the launch aircraft, multiplying the number of targets facing the
SA-2 surface-to-air missile operators on the ground. This mission demanded a small engine that could nevertheless provide enough power to keep up with the jet bomber. Like the similar
Armstrong Siddeley Viper being built in England, the engine on a Quail drone had no need to last for extended periods of time, so therefore could be built of low-quality...
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