P51 Mustang (USA)
| Length | 985cm / 388in |
| Wingspan | 1,128cm / 444in |
| Crew | 1 |
| Armament | Six .50 calibre machine guns, plus two 500lb bombs or six rockets |
| Ceiling | 12,770m / 41,900ft |
| Range | 3,347km / 2,080m |
| Top speed | 704km/h / 437mph at 25,000ft |
The North American P51 Mustang was first produced in 1940 in an attempt
to supply the RAF with a heavily armed fighter.
The wonderful aerodynamic design was initially let down by an underperforming engine (Allison V-1710), but a later adoption of the extremely powerful Rolls-Royce Merlin (built under licence by Packard) produced nothing short of a revolutionary acrobatic combat aircraft, arguably the best single-seat fighter of World War II. The aircraft is easily recognised by its massive air intake under the fuselage (to cool the high performance engine) and (from the P51D onwards) by its bubble canopy offering outstanding visibility.
The Mustang was constantly upgraded and tweaked with subsequent versions. It proved a fantastic night fighter because of its long range and also helped rule the skies of Europe in the closing stages of the war, performing particularly well as a rocket firing tank buster. The design was so successful that the P51 continued in production for some 20 years after the end of the war and even saw service in the Korean War.
Image: Curtis Fowles/www.mustangsmustangs.net
