In the early 1940s, Lockheed engineers designed what could have been the world’s first operational jet fighter—the L-133 Starjet. With an advanced axial-flow jet engine, swept-wing design, and a speed ...

In jet engines, the U.S. and Britain are running a seesaw race for the title of the “most powerful” (see chart). Last week it looked as if Britain’s De Havilland Engine Co., Ltd. had jumped out ahead; ...