In the 1950s, the General Electric J47 turbojet powered several front-line military aircraft, including the North American F-86 “Sabre”. Flight tested in May 1948 as a replacement for the J35, the F-86 “Sabre” set a new world’s speed record of just under 671 mph just four months later in September 1948. Demand for the engine soared during the Korean War and more than 35,000 were manufactured before production ceased in 1956.

The engine scored two major firsts: the first turbojet certified for civil use by the US Civil Aeronautics Administration, and the first to use an electrically-controlled afterburner to boost its thrust.

The most produced and most utilized turbojet during the jet age, the J47 powered such USAF aircraft as the F-86, B-36, B-45, B-47, KC-97, and the USN FJ-2 “Fury”.

The General Electric J47 turbojet remained in use until the last Boeing KC-97J retired from the Air National Guard in 1978, ending thirty years of operational service. The Museum’s J47 is on display in the Early Cold War Gallery.