Gift of the National Museum of Naval Aviation

1947

The Nene is a centrifugal compressor turbojet engine that produced 5,400 lbs of thrust. It was derived from the Whittle W.2 design and was the propulsion basis for two significant aircraft: the Grumman F9F "Panther" and the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15.

Considered very powerful among early jet engines, it was manufactured under license in the U.S. by Pratt & Whitney as the J42. This example powered the prototype F9F-2 from March through October, 1948. It then became a U.S. Navy instructional cutaway in December, 1949.

Other aircraft to use the Nene included:

• Armstrong Whitworth A.W.52
• Avro Ashton, Tudor
• Boulton Paul P.111, Paul P.120
• Canadair CT-133 Silver Star
• Dassault Ouragan
• de Havilland Vampire
• Handley Page HP 88
• Hawker P-1052, P.1081, Sea Hawk
• Supermarine Attacker
• Vivkers Type 618 Nene-Viking

This engine is located in the connector between the Military and Civilian hangars.

If you have any information, comments on, or recollections of the Rolls-Royce Nene, please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Engine Collection Index