The J47 turbojet engine was developed from the earlier J35 engine by General Electric. It first flew in May 1948. More than 30,000 were manufactured, in at least seventeen variants, before production ended in 1956. Versions of the engine powered the North American F-86 Sabre, the Convair B-36 Peacemaker, Boeing B-47 Stratojet, and Boeing KC-97 Stratotanker, among others. The engine spanned thirty years of continuous service in the U.S. military, the last example retiring from duty with the Air National Guard in 1978.

This engine was the first axial-flow turbojet in the U.S. to be approved for commercial use. It featured a twelve-stage compressor and single-stage axial turbine. It weighed over 2,700 pounds and generated over 5,600 pounds of thrust. It turned a maximum of 7,950 RPM and its maximum operating altitude was 50,000 feet.