Power

• The Wasp is a large engine, displacing at an impressive 1,340 cubic inches. The engine puts out 425 horsepower at 2,250 rpm.
  
  

Construction

• The R-1340 is an air-cooled, radial piston engine. The engine featured a newly designed and revolutionary crankshaft and master rod. The engine weighs in at 650 lbs.
  
  

Production

• After its creation in 1925, the R-1340 was used in flight for the first time in 1926; and production continued until 1960. Around 35,000 of these engines were produced in total, primarily through its use in U.S. Navy, Army and Air Force fighters. The Wasp was also popular outside the military; it was used in many commercial planes in the 1930s.
  
  

Notable Usage

• When Charles Lindbergh broke the transcontinental speed record in 1930, a Wasp powered his plane. A Wasp also powered Amelia Earhart's Lockheed Electra 10E on her attempt to circumnavigate the world in 1937.