The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range single-seat World War II fighter aircraft. Designed and built in just 117 days, the Mustang first flew in Royal Air Force (RAF) service as a fighter-bomber and reconnaissance aircraft before conversion to a bomber escort, employed in raids over Germany, helping ensure Allied air superiority from early 1944.[2] The P-51 was in service with Allied air forces in Europe and also saw limited service against the Japanese in the Pacific War. At the start of Korean War the Mustang was the United Nations' main fighter but the role was quickly shouldered by jet fighters, including the F-86, after which the Mustang became a specialised ground-attack fighter-bomber. In spite of being superseded by jet fighters the Mustang remained in service with some air forces until the early 1980s.
As well as being economical to produce, the Mustang was a fast, well-made, and highly durable aircraft. The definitive version, the P-51D, was powered by the Packard V-1650, a two-stage two-speed supercharged version of the legendary Rolls-Royce Merlin engine, and was armed with six .50 caliber (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns.
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Length: 32 ft 3 in (9.83 m)
- Wingspan: 37 ft 0 in (11.28 m)
- Height: 13 ft 4½ in (4.08 m:tail wheel on ground, vertical propeller blade.)
- Wing area: 235 ft² (21.83 m²)
- Empty weight: 7,635 lb (3,465 kg)
- Loaded weight: 9,200 lb (4,175 kg)
- Max takeoff weight: 12,100 lb (5,490 kg)
- Powerplant: 1× Packard V-1650-7 liquid-cooled supercharged V-12, 1,490 hp (1,111 kW) at 3,000 rpm
- Zero-lift drag coefficient: 0.0163
- Drag area: 3.80 ft² (0.35 m²)
- Aspect ratio: 5.83
Performance
- Maximum speed: 437 mph (703 km/h) at 25,000 ft (7,600 m)
- Cruise speed: 362 mph (580 km/h)
- Stall speed: 100 mph (160 km/h)
- Range: 1,650 mi (2,755 km) with external tanks
- Service ceiling: 41,900 ft (12,800 m)
- Rate of climb: 3,200 ft/min (16.3 m/s)
- Wing loading: 39 lb/ft² (192 kg/m²)
- Power/mass: 0.18 hp/lb (300 W/kg)
- Lift-to-drag ratio: 14.6
- Recommended Mach limit 0.8
Armament
- 6 × 0.50 caliber (12.7mm) M2 Browning machine guns with 1,880 total rounds
- 2× hardpoints for up to 2,000 lb (907 kg) of bombs
- 6 or 10× T64 5.0 in (127 mm) H.V.A.R rockets (P-51D-25, P-51K-10 on)
* North American Aviation P-51 Mustang
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