P-51 Mustang
variants with their own articles = | primary user =United States Army Air Force | more users =The North American P-51 Mustang was a long-range single-seat fighter aircraft that entered service with Allied air forces in the middle years of World War II and became one of the conflict's most successful and recognizable aircraft.
The P-51 flew most of its missions as a bomber escort in raids over Germany, and helped ensure Allied air superiority after 1944. It also saw service against Japanese air forces in the Pacific War.
The Mustang began the Korean War as the United Nations' main fighter, but was supplanted by jets by the conflict's end. Nevertheless, it remained in service with some air forces until the early 1980s.
The definitive version of the single-seat fighter was powered by a single two-stage supercharged V-12 Rolls-Royce Merlin engine and armed with six .50 caliber (12.7 mm) M2 machine guns.
Many Mustangs were converted for civilian use, especially air racing.Shortly after World War II began in 1939, the British government established a purchasing commission in the United States, headed by Sir Henry Self. Self had sat on the (British) Air Council Sub-committee on Supply (or 'Supply Committee') along with Sir Wilfrid Freeman, who as the 'Air Member for Development and Production' was given overall responsibility for RAF production and research and development in 1938. One of Self's many tasks was to organize 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; only the Curtiss P-40 Tomahawk came close. The Curtiss plant was running at capacity, so even that aircraft was in short supply.
North American Aviation (NAA) President Dutch Kindleberger approached Self to sell a new medium bomber, the Mitchell. Instead, Self asked if NAA could manufacture the Tomahawk under licence from Curtiss. (North American was already supplying their Harvard trainer but were otherwise underutilized.)
Kindleberger replied that NAA could have a better aircraft with the same engine in the air in less time. As executive head of the British Ministry of Aircraft Production, Freeman ordered 320 aircraft in March 1940. Fortuitously, on June 26 1940, MAP awarded a contract to Packard to build Rolls-Royce Merlin engines under licence. And in September, MAP increased the first production order by 300.
The Mustang was an extremely well-made and excellent plane, although its coolant system could be shut down by a single bullet that pierced an external feed. Pilots joked that "A kid with a rifle could bring it down." In addition, according to the manual, the engine would become starved for oil if the plane was flown inverted for more than a few seconds.The result of the MAP order was the NA-73X 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 landing 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. | Early USAAC P-51 on a test flight. |
The plane first flew on 26 October 1940, 178 days after the order had been placed - 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 .50 M2 Browning (12.7 mm) guns and another four .30-06 Browning A4 (7.62 mm) guns - a somewhat lighter armament than the contemporary Focke-Wulf Fw 190, which had four 20 mm cannon and two 7.92 mm machine guns. The British Spitfire carried two 20 mm cannon and four .303 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-1710 engine. The finer points of supercharging were very much a British specialty: United States engineers had concentrated mainly on the turbocharger instead and the Allison suffered in consequence. Equal performance at high level had not been anticipated as a requirement for the Allison.
About 20 of the Mustang I were delivered to the RAF and made their combat debut on 10 May 1942. With their long range and excellent low-level performance, they were judged useful for tactical reconnaisance and ground-attack duties over the English Channel, but too slow at altitude to be used as fighters.
The smaller machine guns were removed from the Mustang Mk. IA 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 M2 guns, dive brakes, and could carry two 500 pound (230 kg) bombs.In April 1942 the RAF's Air Fighter Development Unit (AFDU) tested the Mustang at higher altitudes and found it wanting, but their CO was so impressed with its manouevrability and speed that he invited Ronnie Harker from Rolls-Royce's Flight Test establishment to fly it. Rolls-Royce rapidly realized that re-engining the Mustang with a Merlin 61 would result in a phenomenal improvement in performance. Freeman drove the Merlin Mustang conversion hard, and insisted on two of the five Mustangs that were being re-engined with Merlin 61s to be handed over to Carl Spaatz for trials and evaluation by the US 8th Air Force in Britain.
The result was astonishing. The high altitude performance and range with the use of drop tanks enabled the mark to excel as bomber escort. After sustained lobbying at the highest level, American production of the Mustang with this engine was started in early 1943, and P51Bs and Cs started arriving in England in August and October 1943, not before time.
The pairing of the P-51 airframe and the Packard-Merlin 68 engine was designated P-51B/C (B being manufactured at Inglewood, California, and C at Dallas, Texas). The new version was used in 15 fighter groups, that were part of the 8th and 9th Air Forces in England, and the 12th and 15th in Italy (the southern part of Italy was under Allied control by late 1943).
The main role of the plane was bomber escort. It was largely due to the P-51 that daylight bombing raids deep into German territory became possible without prohibitive bomber losses in the middle of 1944.The P-51D was considered by many as the definitive Mustang version. One of the problems with the Mustang was poor pilot visibility to the rear. The British had field-modified some Mustangs with fishbowl-shaped canopies called Malcolm Hoods, which somewhat corrected the problem. All British P-51s were equipped with Malcolm Hoods, and some American ones were also equipped with them. However, North American decided to do better than that, and equipped the new P-51D Mustang with teardrop-shaped bubble canopies derived from the British Hawker Typhoon fighter. The fuselage behind the pilot had to be cut down to accommodate the new canopy, but the new design offered the pilots unrestricted vision in all directions with virtually no distortion.
A common misbelief is that cutting down the rear fuselage to mount the bubble canopyreduced stability, requiring a dorsal fin to be added to the forward base of the verticaltail. Actually, both the B/C and later D/K models had a low speed handling problem thatcould result in an involuntary "snap-roll" under certain conditions of air speed, angle ofattack, gross weight, and center of gravity. Several crash reports tell of P-51Bs and Cs crashing because the horizontal stabilizer was torn off during maneuvering. The report says:
"Unless a dorsal fin is installed on the P-51B, P-51C, and P-51D airplanes,a snap roll may result when attempting a slow roll. The horizontalstabilizer will not withstand the effects of a Snap Roll. To preventrecurrence the stabilizer should be reinforced in accordance with T.O.01-60J-18 dated 8 April 1944 and a dorsal fin should be installed. Dorsalfin kits are being made available to overseas activities"
Photographs of P-51B/C models fitted with a similar dorsal addition, which has to be made to fit the different contours of the B/C rear fuselage, prove that the problem requiring it wasn't unique to the D/K versions. While some existing aircraft do not have the dorsal extension fitted, many were equipped at some point in their service or refurbishment with a taller model tail, which provides a similar increase in yaw stability. Also, civilian owned examples often have newer, lighter radios, an absence of external munitions and drop tanks, removed guns and armor plate, and an empty or removed fuselage tank - reducing the need for the dorsal fin.
Among other modifications, armament was increased with the addition of another two M2 machine-guns, bringing the total to six. The inner four machine guns had a supply of 400 rounds and the outer two 270. In previous P-51s the M2s were mounted at angles that led to frequent complaints of jamming during combat maneuvers. The new arrangement allowed the M2s to be mounted in a more standard manner that fixed a lot of the jamming complaints. The .50 caliber machine guns, though lacking penetrative power, proved adequate against the FW-190 and Bf-109 fighters that were the main opponent of the USAAF by this time. Later models had under-wing rocket pylons added to carry up to 10 rockets per plane.
The P-51K differed from the P-51D only by its hollow-bladed Aeroproducts propeller. This propeller turned out to be badly manufactured and created dangerous vibrations during times of high throttle, and was eventually replaced.
The P-51D/K started arriving in Europe in the middle of 1944 and quickly became the prime USAAF fighter in Europe. It was produced in larger numbers than any other Mustang variant. However, by the end of the war, roughly half of all operational Mustangs were still B or C models.
P-51Ds were also built under licence in Australia by the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation (see below).The original NA-73 had been built to the USAAF acceleration standard of 8.33 g (82 m/s²), which made it stronger but considerably heavier than if it had been designed for the British standard of 5.33 g (52 m/s²). Both the USAAF and the RAF was interested in lightening the plane to be more in line with the Spitfire, which was expected to boost its performance significantly.
That resulted in what was basically an entirely new plane, and it gained a new name, the NA-105. Several prototypes were built with different engines from the P-51F (same engine as the D), G (Merlin 145M) and J (Allison V-1710-119) models. However none of these went into production.
Instead the final production version was the P-51H, using the new V-1650-9 engine, a version of the Merlin that included automatic supercharger controls and water injection for bursts of up to 2,000 hp (1,500 kW). With the new airframe several hundred pounds lighter, the extra power, and a better streamlined radiator, the P-51H was among the fastest propeller fighters ever, able to reach 487 mph (784 km/h) at 25,000 ft (7,600 m).
It was planned that the H model would become the standard fighter for the USAAF for the invasion of Japan, replacing all other models. Production was just ramping up with 555 delivered when the war ended. Additional orders already on the books were cancelled.In 1946, the designation P-51D (P for pursuit) was changed to F-51D (F for fighter) because of a new designation scheme throughout the USAF. During the Korean War, F-51s, though obsolete as fighters, were used as tactical bombers. Because of its lighter structure, and less availability of spare parts the newer, faster F-51H was not used in Korea in place of the D model. With the planes being used for ground attack, their performance was less of a concern than their ability to carry a load.
The F-51 was adopted by many air forces, the Israeli Air Force using them in the War of Independence (1948) and in Operation Kadesh (1956). The last Mustangs were discarded by the USAF in 1957 but remained in National Guard service until 1964. Many remain airworthy across the globe, in private hands. A few of those have been modified for extra speed for competing in air racing.At the Casablanca Conference, the Allies formulated the Combined Bomber Offensive (CBO), a plan for "round-the-clock" bombing by the RAF at night and the USAAF by day. American pre-war bombardment doctrine held that large formations of heavy bombers flying at high altitudes would be able to defend themselves against enemy interceptors with a minimum of fighter escort, so that precision daylight bombing using the Norden bombsight would be effective.
Both the RAF and Luftwaffe had attempted daylight bombing and discontinued it. They found, contrary to Douhet's thesis, that advancements in single-engine fighters made multi-engined bombers vulnerable to interception and destruction. The RAF had worried about this in the mid-1930s and had decided to produce an all night-bomber force, but initially began bombing operations by day. The Germans used extensive daylight bombing during the Battle of Britain in preparation for a possible invasion. The Luftwaffe found daylight bombing raids sustained high casualties and soon switched to night bombing (see The Blitz). Bomber Command followed suit in its subsequent raids over Germany.
The initial efforts of the USAAF had been inconclusive because of limited scale. With the implemention in the summer and fall of 1943 of "Operation Pointblank", whose objective was to destroy the Luftwaffe before for the invasion of Europe, the 8th Air Force conducted a series of deep penetration raids of Germany beyond the range of available escort fighters. German fighter reaction to these raids was fierce and bomber losses were severe. Attacking the German ball-bearing industry as a vital choke point of aircraft production on October 14, losses were 20 percent, with many more written off. The disastrous loss of so many experienced aircrews made it impossible to continue raids deep into Germany without adequate fighter escort.
The Lockheed P-38 Lightning had the range to escort the bombers, but was in very limited numbers in the UK and was difficult to maintain. The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt was capable of meeting the Luftwaffe on even terms but did not then have sufficient range. The Mustang changed all that. In general terms, the Mustang was as simple or simpler than other aircraft of its era. It used a single well-understood and reliable engine, and had internal space for a huge fuel load. With the addition of external fuel tanks it could protect the bombers all the way to Germany and back.
Sufficient numbers of P-51s became available to the 8th and 9th Air Forces in the winter of 1943/44, and when "Pointblank" resumed in early 1944 matters changed dramatically. The P-51 proved perfect to the task and the 8th Air Force immediately began to switch its fighter groups to the Mustang, with 14 of its 15 groups converting.
The Luftwaffe pilots learned how to avoid the US fighters by grouping in huge numbers well in front of the bombers, then attacking in a single pass and leaving. This gave the escorting fighters little time to react. In this tactic the Luftwaffe fighters would dive below the bombers to gain speed, pull up and make a firing pass at the belly and least armored area of the bomber, then "hit the deck" before the escort fighters could react.
But in May a new policy was instituted which allowed the fighters to 'free-hunt', roaming away from the bombers and attacking the German planes wherever they were found. The numerical superiority of the USAAF fighters and the flying qualities of the P-51 made this policy highly effective, and after the Luftwaffe had suffered catastrophic losses both in defense of the Reich and in the failed attempt to fight off the Allied invasion in France, the US, and later British, bombers had little to fear from German day fighters after the summer of 1944.
P-51s also distinguished themselves while fighting against advanced enemy rockets and aircraft, be it V-1s that were launched into London (a P-51B/C with high-octane fuel was fast enough to catch up with one), and even the Me 163 Komet rocket interceptors and Me 262 jet fighters, though considerably faster than the P-51, weren't invulnerable. Chuck Yeager, flying a P-51D, was the first American pilot to shoot down a Me 262 when he surprised it during its landing approach.
8th, 9th & 15th AF P-51 groups claimed some 4,950 aircraft shot down (approx. 50% of all USAAF claims in the European theatre) and 4,131 destroyed on the ground. Losses were approx. 840 aircraft. Top scoring P-51 unit was the 9th AF's 354th FG, with 701 air claims and 255 ground claims.
The P-51s were deployed in the Far East later in 1944, and operated there both in close-support and escort missions.
After the Second World War P-51s were assigned to the 27th Fighter Wing, the 56th Fighter Wing and the 82nd Fighter Wing of the Strategic Air Command from 1946 through 1950.The P-51 Mustang not only served in World War Two and Korea but also remained in service with nearly 30 countries after the war — the last P-51 Mustangs retired from active service in the early 1980s. Here is a list of some of the countries that used the P-51 Mustang.
*AustraliaThe first Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) unit to use Mustangs was No. 3 Squadron RAAF, which converted to them at its base in Italy in November 1944.
The RAAF had also decided to replace its P-40 Kittyhawks in the South West Pacific Area with P-51s, and ordered a total of about 500 Mustangs, which were to be built by the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation (CAC), the only non-U.S. production line.
In 1944, 100 P-51Ds were shipped from the U.S. in kit form to inaugurate production at Fishermans Bend, in Melbourne. CAC assembled 80 of these under the designation CA-17/Mark 20, the remaining 20 kept unassembled as part spares. CAC then produced on its own 120 more P-51Ds (reduced from an initial order for 170), which it designated CA-18/Mark 21, 22, or 23. (The RAAF used the serial number prefix A68 for all P-51s.). Mk 22 was a photo reconnaissance variant and Mk 23 had newer model British-made Merlin engines. In addition, 84 P-51Ks were also shipped direct to the RAAF from the USA.
However, only 17 Mustangs reached the frontline squadrons of the First Tactical Air Force by the time World War II ended in August 1945. The RAAF cancelled orders for about 200 Mustangs.
No. 77 Squadron RAAF also used P-51s extensively during the first years of the Korean War, before converting to Gloster Meteor jets.
*Bolivia
*CanadaCanada had five squadrons equipped with Mustangs during World War 2. After the war, a total of 150 Mustangs were purchased and served in auxiliary fighter squadrons until the early 1950s.
*ChinaSeveral hundred P-51s were given to the Allied Air Forces in China. They were also used by the Chinese Communists till the late 1950s.
*CubaOnly two P-51 Mustangs were ever used by Cuba: they were illegally bought in Canada by envoys of Fidel Castro. However, the Mustangs did not enter service soon enough to see any action during Castro's seizure of Cuba. During the Bay of Pigs Invasion, the Mustangs were damaged on the ground, and - once again - were repaired too late to participate in the fighting.
*Dominican RepublicThe last nation to have the F-51 Mustang in service, the Dominican Republic's last F-51Ds left service by 1990.
*El Salvador
*FranceIn early 1945, the French GR II/33 photo-reconnaissance squadron was equipped with F-6 Mustangs and participated in the fighting that took place when the Allies crossed the Rhine. The Mustangs remained in service until the early 1950s when they were replaced by jets.
*Guatemala
*HaitiHaiti had two Mustangs when President Paul Eugène Magloire was in power between 1950 and 1956.
*Honduras
*IndonesiaIndonesia acquired some F-51s from the departing Netherlands East Indies Air Force in 1949/1950. The Mustangs were used against Commonwealth (RAF, RAAF and RNZAF) forces during the Indonesian confrontation in the early 1960s. The last time Mustangs were to be deployed for military purposes was a shipment of 6 [1] or 8 [2] delivered to Indonesia from Cavalier in 1972-1973, which were replaced in 1976.
*IsraelA few P-51 Mustangs were illegally bought by Israel in 1948 and quickly established themselves as the best fighter in the Israeli inventory. Further aircraft were bought from Sweden and Nicaragua but were replaced by jets at the end of the 1950s, but not before the type was used in the Suez Crisis.
*Italy
*Netherlands
*Nicaragua
*New ZealandNew Zealand ordered 320 P-51 Mustangs as a partial replacement of its F4U Corsairs in the Pacific Ocean Areas theatre. Thirty were delivered in 1945 but the war ended before they entered service. The remainder were retained in the U.S. The 30 received were placed in storage until 1950 when put into service with the New Zealand Territorial Air Force (TAF)'s Auckland, Wellington, Canterbury and Otago squadrons. The TAF was disbanded in 1957 and the Mustangs retired, one being retained by 42 Squadron for regular target towing duties. RNZAF pilots in the Royal Air Force also flew the P51 and at least one New Zealand pilot scored victories over Europe while on loan to a USAAF P51 squadron. A Mustang is on display in the RNZAF Museum and three other privately owned Mustangs are airworthy in the country.
*PhilippinesAfter World War 2, the Philippines were issued with P-51 Mustangs. These were to become the backbone of the Philippines Air Force and were extensively used during the Huk campaign, fighting against communist insurgents. They were replaced by F-86 Sabre jets in the late 1950s.
*Somalia
*South AfricaThe South African Air Force operated a number of Mustang Is and IIs (P-51As) in Italy and the Middle East during World War Two. After VE-Day, these machines were soon struck off charge and scrapped. In 1950, 2 Squadron SAAF was supplied with F-51D Mustangs by the United States for Korean War service. The type performed well in South African hands before being replaced by another North American product (the F-86 Sabre) in 1952/1953.
*South KoreaWithin a month of the outbreak of the Korean War, 10 F-51D Mustangs were provided to the badly depleted Republic of Korea Air Force as a part of the Bout One Project. They were flown by both South Korean airmen, several of whom were veterans of the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy air services during World War 2 as well as by U.S. advisors led by Major Dean Hess. Later, more were provided both from U.S. and from South African stocks, as the latter were converting to F-86 Sabres. They formed the backbone of the South Korean Air Force until they were replaced by Sabres.
*Soviet UnionThe Soviet Union received at least 10 early-model Mustangs and tested them in combat. Some reports suggest that other Mustangs that were abandoned in Russia after the famous "shuttle missions" were repaired and used by the Soviet air force.
*SwedenSweden's Flygvapnet first recuperated Allied P-51s that had been diverted to Sweden during missions over Europe. Sweden later bought Mustangs and equipped a few wings with them, using them primarily as interceptors and reconnaissance aircraft before they were replaced by indigenous designs in the early 1950s.
*SwitzerlandSwitzerland operated a few USAAF P-51s which had been impounded by the Swiss authorities during World War Two after the pilots were forced to land in neutral Switzerland. They also bought 130 P-51s for $4,000 each. They served till 1958.
*TaiwanSome of the P-51s given to China after the Second World War ended up in Taiwan after their pilots sided with Chiang Kai-shek's government. further P-51s were acquired from the USAF and other sources.
*United KingdomThe RAF was the first air force to operate the P-51 which was designed to meet RAF requirements. The first P-51As (RAF Mustang Is) entered service in 1941, wearing the standard RAF fighter markings. Due to poor high altitiude performance, the Mustangs were soon transferred to Army co-operation and fighter reconnaissance duties, and were used extensively to seek out V-1 sites during 1943/1944. The final RAF Mustang I and II machines were struck off charge in 1945.The RAF operated several Mustang III (P-51B/C) machines, the first units converting to the type in late 1943/1944. Mustang III units were operational until the end of World War Two, though many units had already converted to the Mustang IV (P-51D/K). RAF pilots preferred the Mustang III (with Malcolm hood), but the RAF re-equipped with Mustang IVs. As the Mustang was a Lend-Lease type, all aircraft still on RAF charge at the end of World War Two were either returned to the USAAF "on paper" or retained by the RAF for scrapping. The final Mustangs disappeared from RAF use in 1947.
*UruguayThe initial prototype was designated the NA-73X by the manufacturer, North American Aviation. The first production contract was awarded by the British for 320 NA-73 fighters. This aircraft was named Mustang I by the British. Two aircraft of this lot delivered to the USAAF were designated XP-51. A second British contract for 300 more Mustang Is was assigned a model number of NA-83 by North American.
In September 1940, 150 aircraft designated NA-91 by North American were ordered under the Lend/Lease program. These were designated by the USAAF as P-51 and initially named the Apache although this name was dropped early-on for Mustang. The British designated this model as Mustang IA. They were equipped with 4 long barrelled 20 mm Hispano-Suiza Mk II cannon instead of machine guns. A number of aircraft from this lot were fitted out by the USAAF as photo reconnaissance aircraft and designated F-6A. The British would fit a number of Mustang Is with photographic reconnaissance equipment as well. Also, two aircraft of this lot were fitted with the Packard built Merlin engine and were designated by North American as model NA-101 and by the USAAF initially as the XP-78, but re-designated quickly to XP-51B.
In early 1942, the USAAF ordered a lot of 500 aircraft modified as dive bombers that were designated A-36A. North American assigned the aircraft the model number NA-97. This model became the first USAAF Mustang to see combat. One aircraft was passed to the British who gave it the name Mustang I (Dive Bomber).
Following the A-36A order the USAAF ordered 310 model NA-99 fighters that were designated P-51A by the USAAF. and Mustang II by the RAF. A number of this lot of aircraft were equipped with K-24 cameras and designated F-6B. All these models of the Mustang were equipped with Allison V-1710 engines except the prototype XP-51B.
Beginning with the model NA-102 Mustang the Packard built Merlin V-1650 engine replaced the Allison. In the summer of 1943 Mustang production was begun at a new plant in Dallas, Texas as well as at the existing facility in Inglewood, California. The model NA-102 was produced as the P-51B in Inglewood while the NA-103 as the P-51C was produced at Dallas. The RAF named these models Mustang III. Again, a number of the P-51B and P-51C aircraft were fitted for photo Reconnaissance and designated F-6C.
The prototypes of the bubble canopy change were designated model NA-106 by North American and P-51D by the USAAF. The production version, while retaining the P-51D designation, was assigned a model number NA-109 by North American. The ‘D' became the most widely produced variant of the Mustang. A variation of the P-51D equipped with an Aeroproducts propeller in place of the Hamilton Standard propeller was designated the P-51K. The photo versions of the P-51D and P-51K were designated F-6D and F-6K respectfully. The RAF assigned the name Mustang IV to the ‘D' model and Mustang IVA to ‘K' models.
As the USAAF specifications required airframe design to a higher load factor than that used by British for their fighters, consideration was given to re-designing the Mustang to the lower British requirements in order to reduce the weight of the aircraft and thus improve performance. In 1943, North American submitted a proposal to do the re-design as model NA-105, which was accepted by the USAAF. The designation XP-51F was assigned for prototypes powered with V-1650 engines and XP-51G to those with reverse lend/lease Merlin 145M engines. Modifications included changes to the cowling, a simplified undercarriage with smaller wheels and disk brakes, and a larger canopy. A third prototype was added to the development that was powered by an Allison V-1710 engine. This aircraft was designated XP-51J. As the engine was insufficiently developed the XP-51J was loaned to Allison for engine development. A small number of XP-51Fs were passed to the British as the Mustang V.
The final production Mustang, the P-51H embodied the experience gained in the development of the lightweight XP-51F and XP-51G aircraft. This aircraft, model NA-126 and with minor differences NA-129, came too late to participate in World War II, but it brought the development of the Mustang to a peak which was probably the fastest production piston engine fighter to see service. The P-51H used the Merlin V-1659-9 engine, equipped with Simmons automatic boost control and water injection, allowing War Emergency Power as high as 2218 horsepower. Some of the weight savings inherited from the XP-51F and XP-51G were invested in lengthening the fuselage and increasing the height of the tailfin, greatly reducing the tendency to yaw, and in restoring the fuselage fuel tank. The canopy was changed back to more nearly resemble the P51-D style, over a somewhat raised pilot's position. Service access to the guns and ammunition was improved. The P-51H was designed to complement the P-47 Thunderbolt as the primary aircraft for the invasion of Japan and 2,000 were ordered to be built at the Inglewood plant. With the solution to the problem of yaw control, the P-51H was now considered a suitable candidate for testing as an aircraft carrier based fighter; but with the end of the war, the testing was cut short, and production was halted after 555 aircraft were built. Although some P-51Hs were issued to operational units, none saw combat. One plane was given to the RAF for testing and evaluation. Serial number 44-64192 was designated BuNo 09064 and used by the Navy to test transonic airfoil designs, then returned to the Air National Guard in 1952. The P-51H was not used for combat in the Korean War despite its improved handling characteristics, due to the lack of experience with durability of the lighter airframe under combat conditions.
With the cut back in production the variants of the P-51H with different versions of the Merlin engine were produced in either limited numbers or terminated. These included the P-51L, similar to the P-51H but utilizing the 2270 horsepower V-1650-11 Merlin engine, which was never built; and its Dallas-built version, the P-51M or NA-124which utilized the V-1650-9A Merlin engine lacking water injection and therefore rated for lower maximum power, of which one was built out of the original 1629 ordered, serial number 45-11743.*P-51A, 310 built at Inglewood, California
*P-51B, 650 built at Inglewood
*P-51C, 3,750 built at Dallas, Texas
*P-51D/K, 6,502 built at Inglewood; 1,454 at Dallas; 200 by CAC at Fisherman's Bend, Australia. A total of 8,156.
*P-51H, 555 built at Inglewood
Total number built: 15,875 (among American fighter aircraft second only to the P-47 Thunderbolt)P-51D Mustang, and Quest for Performance | crew=1 | length main=32 ft 3 in | length alt=9.83 m | span main=37 ft 0 in | span alt=11.28 m | height main=13 ft 8 in | height alt=4.17 m | area main=235 ft² | area alt=21.83 m² | empty weight main=7,635 lb | empty weight alt=3,465 kg | loaded weight main=9,200 lb | loaded weight alt=4,175 kg | max takeoff weight main=12,100 lb | max takeoff weight alt=5,490 kg | more general=Zero-lift drag coefficient: 0.0163Drag area: 3.80 ft² (0.35 m²)Aspect ratio: 5.86|engine (prop)=Packard Merlin V-1650-7| type of prop=liquid-cooled supercharged V-12 | number of props=1 | power main=1,695 hp | power alt=1,265 kW | max speed main=437 mph | max speed alt=703 km/h | max speed more=at 25,000 ft (7,620 m) | cruise speed main=362 mph | cruise speed alt=580 km/h | stall speed main=100 mph | stall speed alt=160 km/h | range main=1,650 mi | range alt=2,655 km | range more=with external tanks | ceiling main=41,900 ft | ceiling alt=12,770 m | climb rate main=3,200 ft/min | climb rate alt=16.3 m/s | loading main=39 lb/ft² | loading alt=192 kg/m² | power/mass main=0.18 hp/lb | power/mass alt=300 W/kg | more performance=Lift-to-drag ratio: 14.6|armament=
*6x 0.50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns; 400 rounds per gun for the two inboard guns; 270 per outboard gun
*2 hardpoints for up to 2,000 lb (907 kg)
*10x 5 in (127 mm) rocketsP-51H Mustang
*The North American P-51 Mustang
*Mustang!
*Air Vectors North American P-51 Mustang
*North American P-51H Mustang
*Commemorative Air Force page on P-51 background, history, specs
*Warbird Alley: P-51 page - Information about P-51 Mustangs still flying today
*USAAF Resource Center - P-51 profile
*Warbird Registry - P-51 Warbirds
*List of 284 known surviving Mustangs
*Air Show Photos
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