The North American Aviation P51 Mustang is an American longrange, singleseat fighter and fighter bomber used during World War II and the Korean War, among other conflicts. The Mustang was designed in April 1940 by a team headed by James H. Kindelberger of North American Aviation (NAA) in response to a requirement of the British Purchasing Commission. The Purchasing Commission approached North American Aviation to build Curtiss P40 fighters under license for the Royal Air Force (RAF). Rather than build an old design from another company, North American Aviation proposed the design and production of a more modern fighter. The prototype NA73X airframe was rolled out on 9 September 1940, 102 days after the contract was signed, and first flew on 26 October.

The Mustang was designed to use the Allison V1710 engine, which had limited highaltitude performance in its earlier variants. The aircraft was first flown operationally by the RAF as a tacticalreconnaissance aircraft and fighter bomber (Mustang Mk I). Replacing the Allison with a RollsRoyce Merlin resulted in the P51B/C (Mustang Mk III) model, and transformed the aircraft's performance at altitudes above 15,000 ft (4,600 m) (without sacrificing range), allowing it to compete with the Luftwaffe's fighters. The definitive version, the P51D, was powered by the Packard V16507, a licensebuilt version of the twospeed, twostagesupercharged Merlin 66, and was armed with six .50 caliber (12.7 mm) AN/M2 Browning machine guns.

From late 1943, P51Bs and P51Cs (supplemented by P51Ds from mid1944) 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 Merlinpowered Mustangs as fighterbombers, roles in which the Mustang helped ensure Allied air superiority in 1944. The P51 was also used by Allied air forces in the North African, Mediterranean, Italian, and Pacific theaters. During World War II, Mustang pilots claimed to have destroyed 4,950 enemy aircraft.

At the start of the Korean War, the Mustang, by then redesignated F51, was the main fighter of the United States until jet fighters, including North American's F86, took over this role; the Mustang then became a specialized fighterbomber. Despite the advent of jet fighters, the Mustang remained in service with some air forces until the early 1980s. After the Korean War, Mustangs became popular civilian warbirds and air racing aircraft.

North American Aviation (NAA) was already supplying its T6 Texan (known in British service as the "Harvard") trainer to the RAF but was otherwise underused. NAA President "Dutch" Kindelberger approached Self to sell a new medium bomber, the North American B25 Mitchell. Instead, Self asked if NAA could manufacture P40s under license from Curtiss. Kindelberger said NAA could have a better aircraft with the same Allison V1710 engine in the air sooner than establishing a production line for the P40.

Specifications (P51D Mustang)

3view drawing of P51D Mustang

Nose of P51 Gunfighter

Wing with three .50 caliber machine guns
Data from Erection and Maintenance Manual for P51D and P51K, P51 Tactical Planning Characteristics & Performance Chart, The Great Book of Fighters, and Quest for Performance

General characteristics

Crew: 1
Length: 32 ft 3 in (9.83 m)
Wingspan: 37 ft (11 m)
Height: 13 ft 4.5 in (4.077 m) tail wheel on the ground, vertical propeller blade
Wing area: 235 sq ft (21.8 m2)
Aspect ratio: 5.83
Airfoil: NAA/NACA 45–100
Empty weight: 7,635 lb (3,463 kg)
Gross weight: 9,200 lb (4,173 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 12,100 lb (5,488 kg) 5,490
Fuel capacity: 269 US gal (224 imp gal; 1,020 l)
Zerolift drag coefficient: 0.0163
Drag area: 3.80 sqft (0.35 m²)
Powerplant: 1 × Packard (Rolls Royce) V16507 Merlin 12cylinder liquidcooled engine, 1,490 hp (1,110 kW) at 3,000 rpm 1,720 hp (1,280 kW) at WEP
Propellers: 4bladed Hamilton Standard constantspeed, variablepitch, 11 ft 2 in (3.40 m) diameter
Performance

Maximum speed: 440 mph (710 km/h, 383 kn)
Cruise speed: 362 mph (583 km/h, 315 kn)
Stall speed: 100 mph (160 km/h, 87 kn)
Range: 1,650 mi (2,660 km, 1,434 nmi) with external tanks
Service ceiling: 41,900 ft (12,800 m)
Rate of climb: 3,200 ft/min (16 m/s)
Lifttodrag: 14.6
Wing loading: 39 lb/sq ft (190 kg/m2)
Power/mass: 0.18 hp/lb (300 W/kg)
Recommended Mach limit 0.8
Armament
Guns: 6 × .50 caliber (12.7mm) AN/M2 Browning machine guns with 1,840 total rounds (380 rounds for each on the inboard pair and 270 rounds for each of the outer two pairs)
Rockets: 6 or 10 × 5.0 in (127 mm) T64 HVAR rockets (P51D25, P51K10 on)
Bombs: 1 × 100 lb (45 kg) or 250 lb (110 kg) bomb or 500 lb (230 kg) bomb on hardpoint under each wing

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