![]() North American Aviation (NAA) was already supplying its T-6 Texan (known in British service as the "Harvard") trainer to the RAF, but was otherwise underused. The Curtiss-Wright plant was running at capacity, so P-40s were in short supply. aircraft then in production or flying met European standards, with only the Curtiss P-40 Tomahawk coming close. At the time, the choice was very limited, as no U.S. Self also sat on the British Air Council Subcommittee on Supply (or "Supply Committee"), and one of his tasks was to organize the manufacturing and supply of American fighter aircraft for the RAF. Self was given overall responsibility for RAF production, research, and development, and also served with Sir Wilfrid Freeman, the Air Member for Development and Production. In 1938, the British government established a purchasing commission in the United States, headed by Sir Henry Self. Main article: North American P-51 Mustang variants North American NA-73X, with a short carburetor air-intake scoop and the frameless, rounded windshield: On the production Mustang Mk Is, the frameless windshield was replaced with a three-piece unit that incorporated a bullet-resistant windshield. ![]() After the Korean War, Mustangs became popular civilian warbirds and air racing aircraft. Despite the advent of jet fighters, the Mustang remained in service with some air forces until the early 1980s. Īt the start of the Korean War, the Mustang, by then redesignated F-51, was the main fighter of the United States until jet fighters, including North American's F-86 Sabre, took over this role the Mustang then became a specialized fighter-bomber. During World War II, Mustang pilots claimed to have destroyed 4,950 enemy aircraft. The P-51 was also used by Allied air forces in the North African, Mediterranean, Italian, and Pacific theaters. įrom late 1943, P-51Bs and P-51Cs (supplemented by P-51Ds from mid-1944) were used by the USAAF's Eighth Air Force to escort bombers in raids over Germany, while the RAF's Second Tactical Air Force and the USAAF's Ninth Air Force used the Merlin-powered Mustangs as fighter-bombers, roles in which the Mustang helped ensure Allied air superiority in 1944. 50 caliber (12.7 mm) AN/M2 Browning machine guns. The definitive version, the P-51D, was powered by the Packard V-1650-7, a license-built version of the two-speed, two-stage- supercharged Merlin 66, and was armed with six. ![]() Following receipt of the test results and after further flights by a number of USAAF pilots, the results were so positive that North American began work on converting several aircraft and these were developed into the P-51B/C (Mustang Mk III) model, which became the first long range fighter to be able to compete with the Luftwaffe 's fighters. During testing at Hucknall, it quickly became clear that this dramatically improved the aircraft's performance at altitudes above 15,000 ft (4,600 m) (without sacrificing range). In mid 1942, Rolls Royce replaced the Allison with a Rolls-Royce Merlin 65, two-stage intercooled supercharged engine, resulting in a series of development aircraft known as the Mustang X. ![]() The aircraft was first flown operationally and very successfully by the RAF and as a tactical-reconnaissance aircraft and fighter-bomber (Mustang Mk I). The Mustang was designed to use the Allison V-1710 engine without an export-sensitive turbosupercharger or a multi-stage supercharger, resulting in limited high-altitude performance. The prototype NA-73X airframe was rolled out on 9 September 1940, 102 days after the contract was signed, and first flew on 26 October. Rather than build an old design from another company, NAA proposed the design and production of a more modern fighter. The commission approached NAA to build Curtiss P-40 fighters and the newer P-46 under license for the Royal Air Force (RAF). Kindelberger of North American Aviation (NAA) in response to a requirement of the British Purchasing Commission. The Mustang was designed in April 1940 by a team headed by James H. The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang is an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II and the Korean War, among other conflicts. Retired from military service 1984 ( Dominican Air Force) ![]()
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