Ranger Engineering of Farmingdale, New York was a unit of the Fairchild Engine and Airplane Corporation which entered the aircraft engine business in 1925. Initially a manufacturer of radial engines, Fairchild later became a successful manufacturer of air-cooled in-line aircraft engines.

As early as 1935, Fairchild had proposed a 24-cylinder, air-cooled, H-type engine for both commercial transport and military use. Known as an LS-555, this engine was essentially a combination of two 12-cylinder V-770-SG engines. The H-configuration permitted installation in an oval-shaped, narrow fuselage and a gun fired through the propeller shaft.

In May 1943, Ranger proposed to the U.S. Navy Bureau of Aeronautics the design and development of the XH-1850-2 engine, calling for eight engines for development testing, type testing, and preliminary flight installation. Ranger continued work on the XH-1850 until 1946, when the U.S. government, after evaluating progress made by British and American turbojet engine manufacturers, terminated XH-1850 development.