(first run in 1932)

The Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Twin Wasp radial piston engine is the most produced aero engine of all time. It powered two of the most produced aircraft, the Consolidated B-24 Liberator bomber and the Douglas DC-3 airliner. They were license built in Australia during World War 2 and powered the locally made Beaufort bomber and Boomerang fighter.

The Pratt & Whitney Aviation Company began producing aero engines in 1925. It began with the popular single row Wasp engine. The company began experimenting with twin row engines in 1929 and production of the Twin Wasp began in 1932

The advantage of two rows of cylinders is that the engine could generate more power without increasing it frontal area, which would increase drag on the aircraft. The first Twin Wasp generated 600kW (800hp) of power and most versions generated 890kW (1,200hp).

Twin Wasps were durable and reliable and powered many aircraft during the 1930s. They were also used very widely during World War 2 and eventually 173,618 of them were manufactured.

A factory in Lidcombe, New South Wales, produced many of the Twin Wasp engines used in Australia during World War 2. A large facility in Rockley, Queensland, also repaired and reconditioned these engines for American and Australian forces during the war.