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| Contents | ||
| P-51 Mustang | ||
|---|---|---|
A restored North American P51-D Mustang flies with an F-15D over the English countryside (July 2001). The back-seat passenger of the F-15 (Bud Anderson) flew Mustangs in World War II. | ||
| Description | ||
| Role | Air superiority, bomber escort | |
| Crew | 1 | |
| First Flight | 1941 | |
| Entered Service | December 1943 | |
| Manufacturer | ||
| Dimensions | ||
| Length | 32 ft 3 in | 9.8 m |
| Wingspan | 37 ft | 11.3 m |
| Height | 13 ft 8 in | 4.17 m |
| Wing Area | 235 ft² | 21.8 m² |
| Weights | ||
| Empty | 7,000 lb | 3,175 kg |
| Loaded | 9,200 lb | 4,175 kg |
| Maximum Takeoff | 12,100 lb | 5,490 kg |
| Capacity | ||
| Powerplant | ||
| Engines | 1 x Rolls-Royce (Packard) Merlin V-1650-7 | |
| Power | 1695 hp | 1,264 kW |
| Performance | ||
| Maximum Speed | 437 mph | 704 km/h |
| Combat Range | 1000 miles | 1609.3 km |
| Ferry Range | miles | km |
| Service Ceiling | 41,800 ft | 12,700 m |
| Rate of Climb | ft/min | m/min |
| Wing Loading | lb/ft² | kg/m² |
| Thrust/Weight | ||
| Power/Mass | hp/lb | kW/kg |
| Avionics | ||
| Avionics | ||
| Armament | ||
| Guns | (P-51D) 6 .50 caliber (12.7 mm) MG | |
| Bombs | 2,000 lb (907 kg) | |
| Missiles | None | |
| Rockets | 10 x 5 inch (127 mm) | |
| Other | None | |
The North American P-51 Mustang was a successful long range fighter aircraft which set new standards of excellence and performance when it entered service in the middle years of World War II and is still regarded as one of the very best piston-engined fighters ever made. The definitive version of the single-seat fighter was powered by a supercharged Merlin engine driving a single prop with armament of six .50 caliber machine guns.
Shortly after the war began in 1939, the British government established a purchasing commission in the United States, headed by Sir Henry Self. One of Self's many tasks was to organise the manufacture of American fighter aircraft for the RAF. At the time, the choice was very limited: none of the US aircraft already flying reached European standards, and only the Curtiss P-40 Tomahawk came close, and with the Curtiss plant running to capacity already, even that aircraft was in short supply.
At this point, North American Aviation (NAA) President Dutch Kindleberger approached Self with a view to selling the British NAA's new medium bomber, the Mitchell. Instead, Self asked if NAA could manufacture the Tomahawk under licence from Curtis. (North American was already supplying their Harvard trainer but were otherwise underutilized.)
Kindleberger's reply, however, was that NAA could have a better aircraft with the same engine in the air in less time. From this unlikely beginning would come one of the best fighter aircraft of all time.
The result was the NA-73 project from March 1940. The design was in keeping with the best conventional practice of the era, but included two new features. One was a new NACA designed laminar flow wing, which was larger than others on similar aircraft while still having the same drag. This left plenty of room for gear, guns, ammunition and fuel, all completely inside the wing and well streamlined. Another was the use of a new radiator design from Curtiss, that used the heated air exiting the radiator as a form of jet thrust.
The USAAC could block any sales they considered interesting, and this appeared to be the case for the NA-73. An arrangement was eventually reached where the RAF would get its planes, in exchange for NA providing two more cost-free to the USAAC.
The plane made its maiden flight on 26 October 1940, less than nine months from first being drawn up - an incredibly short period. In general, the plane handled well and the internal arrangement allowed for a massive fuel load. It was armed with four 0.5 in (12.7 mm) machine guns and another four 0.3 in (7.62 mm) guns - a rather light arms load for the era; the contemporary Focke-Wulf Fw 190 prototype was suitable for carrying four 20 mm cannon (and two 7.92 mm machine guns).
It was quickly evident that performance, although good near sea level, was not up to European standards at higher altitudes. This was due largely to the mechanically supercharged Allison V-1710The V-1710 aircraft engine was the only indigenous US developed liquid-cooled engine to see service during WWII. Known as a sturdy and trustworthy design, it nevertheless was overlooked in a number of applications due to "problems" with the supercharging. engine. The finer points of supercharging were very much a British specialty: United States engineers had concentrated mainly on the turbochargerA turbocharger is a device used in internal-combustion engines to increase the power output of the engine by increasing the mass of oxygen and fuel entering the engine. A key advantage of turbochargers is that they offer a considerable increase in engine instead and the Allison suffered in consequence.
About 20 of the Mustang 1 were delivered to the RAF and made their combat debut on 10 May 1942Events January January 1 World War II: The word " United Nations" is first officially used to describe the Allied pact. January 2 World War II: Manila is captured by Japanese forces. January 5 Amy Johnson disappears in flight over River Thames estuary ass. With their long range and excellent low-level performance, they were judged useful for ground-attack duties over the English ChannelThe English Channel is the part of the Atlantic Ocean that separates the island of Great Britain from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. In French it is called La Manche ("the sleeve"). It is about 350 miles long and at its widest i, but too slow at altitude to be used as fighters.
The Mustang Mk.IA removed the 0.3 in (7.62 mm) guns in an effort to improve performance. At the same time the USAAC was becoming more interested in ground attack planes and had a new version ordered as the A-36 Apache which included two more 0.5 in (12.7 mm) guns, dive brakes, and could carry two 500 pound (230 kg) bombs. Neither of these versions were particularly effective.