Pratt & Whitney TF30 - Design and Development

Design and Development

In the 1958, the Douglas Aircraft Company proposed a short-range, four-engined jet airliner to fill the gap below its new DC-8 intercontinental; it was known internally as the Model 2067, and to be marketed as the DC-9, jet. Pratt & Whitney (P&W) had offered its JT8A turbojet for the airliner, but Douglas preferred to go with a turbofan engine, which would have a greater fuel efficiency than a turbojet. P&W then proposed the JT10A, a half-scale version of its newly developed JT8D turbofan. Development of the new design began in April 1959, using the core of the JT8. Douglas shelved the projected DC-9 in 1960, as the targeted US airlines preferred the newly offered Boeing 727.

In 1960, the United States Navy selected the JT10A, designated TF30-P-1, to power the proposed Douglas F6D Missileer, but the projected was canceled in April 1961. Meanwhile, the TF30 had been chosen by General Dynamics for its entrant in the TFX competition for the United States Air Force and USN, which was selected for production as the F-111. The version of the TF30 for the F-111 included an afterburner.