North American P-51 Mustang facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids P-51 Mustang

P-51D of 375th Fighter Squadron, with underwing drop tanks
Role	Fighter
National origin	United States
Manufacturer	North American Aviation
First flight	26 October 1940
Introduction	January 1942 (RAF)
Retired	Retired from military service 1984 (Dominican Air Force)
Primary users	United States Army Air Forces Royal Air Force Royal New Zealand Air Force Royal Canadian Air Force
Number built	More than 15,000
Variants	North American A-36 Rolls-Royce Mustang Mk.X CAC Mustang Cavalier Mustang
Developed into	North American F-82 Twin Mustang Piper PA-48 Enforcer

The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang is an American long-range, single-seat 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 commission approached NAA to build Curtiss P-40 fighters under license for the Royal Air Force (RAF). Rather than build an old design from another company, NAA proposed the design and production of a more modern fighter. The prototype NA-73X 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 V-1710 engine without an export-sensitive turbosupercharger or a multi-stage supercharger, resulting in limited high-altitude performance. The aircraft was first flown operationally by the RAF as a tactical-reconnaissance aircraft and fighter-bomber (Mustang Mk I). Replacing the Allison with a Rolls-Royce Merlin two-stage supercharged engine resulted in the P-51B/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 P-51D, was powered by the Packard V-1650-7, a license-built version of the two-speed, two-stage-supercharged Merlin 66, and was armed with six .50 caliber (12.7 mm) AN/M2 Browning machine guns.

From late 1943, P-51Bs and P-51Cs (supplemented by P-51Ds from mid-1944) 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 Merlin-powered Mustangs as fighter-bombers, roles in which the Mustang helped ensure Allied air superiority in 1944. The P-51 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 F-51, was the main fighter of the United States until jet fighters, including North American's F-86 Sabre, took over this role; the Mustang then became a specialized fighter-bomber. 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.

Notable appearances in media
Scale replicas
Images for kids
See also

Notable appearances in media

The restored P-51C Mustang associated with the Tuskegee Airmen now flown by Red Tail Project as described in Red Tail Reborn

Red Tail Reborn (2007) is the story behind the restoration of a flying memorial aircraft.

Scale replicas

As indicative of the iconic nature of the P-51, manufacturers within the hobby industry have created scale plastic model kits of the P-51 Mustang, with varying degrees of detail and skill levels. The aircraft have also been the subject of numerous scale flying replicas. Aside from the popular model aircraft, several kitplane manufacturers offer ½, ⅔, and ¾-scale replicas capable of comfortably seating one (or even two) and offering high performance combined with more forgiving flight characteristics. Such aircraft include the Titan T-51 Mustang, W.A.R. P-51 Mustang, Linn Mini Mustang, Jurca Gnatsum, Thunder Mustang, Stewart S-51D Mustang, Loehle 5151 Mustang and ScaleWings SW51 Mustang.

Images for kids

North American NA-73X, with a short carburetor air-intake scoop and the frameless, rounded windshield: On the production Mustang Mk Is, the frameless windshield was replaced with a three-piece unit that incorporated a bullet-resistant windshield.
XP-51 41-039 is one of two Mustang Mk I aircraft handed over to the USAAC for testing.
A Royal Air Force North American Mustang Mk III (FX908) on the ground at Hucknall
P-51 Mustangs of the 375th Fighter Squadron, Eighth Air Force mid-1944
Pilots of the all-Black American 332nd Fighter Group (the Tuskegee Airmen) at Ramitelli, Italy: From left, Lt. Dempsey W. Morgran, Lt. Carroll S. Woods, Lt. Robert H. Nelron, Jr., Capt. Andrew D. Turner, and Lt. Clarence D. Lester
A USAAF armorer of the 100th Fighter Squadron, 332nd Fighter Group, 15th U.S. Air Force checks ammunition belts of the .50 caliber (12.7 mm) Browning machine guns in the wings of a North American P-51B Mustang in Italy, circa September 1944
P-51D 44-14888 of the 8th AF/357th FG/363rd FS, named Glamorous Glen III, is the aircraft in which Chuck Yeager achieved most of his 12.5 kills, including two Me 262s – shown here with twin single-use 108-gallon (409-l) drop tanks fitted. This aircraft was renamed "Melody's Answer" and crashed on Mar 2, 1945, from unknown causes at Haseloff, west of Treuenbrietzen, Germany.
P-51D Mustang Detroit Miss of the 375th Fighter Squadron: Urban L. Drew flew this aircraft in the autumn 1944 and shot down six German aircraft, including two jet-powered Me 262s in a single mission.
A P-51 Mustang taking off from Iwo Jima.
Medal of Honor recipient Lt. Col. James H. Howard, in the cockpit of his P-51 Mustang
An F-51 Mustang, laden with bombs and rockets, taxis through a puddle at an airbase in Korea.
West Virginia Air National Guard F-51D. Note: postwar "uncuffed" propeller unit.
P-51Ds of 82 Squadron RAAF in Bofu, Japan, as part of the British Commonwealth Occupation Force, in 1947
A Cavalier Mustang, formerly of the Bolivian Air Force, parked on a Canadian airfield
P-51 of the Republic of China Air Force, 1953
P-51D Mustang in Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution
Guatemalan Air Force P-51Ds at Guatemala La Aurora International
Indonesian Air Force P-51
A P-51D at the Israeli Air Force Museum: The marking beneath the cockpit notes its participation in the wire-cutting operation at the onset of the Suez Crisis.
Italian P-51D Mustang.
Netherlands North American P-51 Mustang
P-51D in 3 (Canterbury) Squadron TAF livery, performing at 2007 Wings over Wairarapa airshow
Philippine Air Force P-51D: The tailwheels were fixed in the extended position.
North American F-51D Mustang fighters of No. 2 Squadron of the South African Air Force in Korea, on 1 May 1951
The F-51D in ROKAF service
Swedish Air Force J 26 on display at Swedish Air Force Museum
A restored Swiss Air Force P-51D at the Flieger-Flab-Museum
Cavalier P-51 Mustang with tiptanks
Miss Helen, a P-51D in its wartime markings as flown by Capt. Raymond H. Littge of the 487 FS, 352 FG, on aerial display in 2007: It is the last original 352 FG P-51 known to exist.
The Rebel, a P-51D-25-NT, at the 2014 Reno Air Races
TP-51C "Betty Jane" dual control Warbird of the Collings Foundation appears at airshows around the United States
3-view drawing of P-51D Mustang
Wing with three .50 caliber machine guns
The restored P-51C Mustang associated with the Tuskegee Airmen now flown by Red Tail Project as described in Red Tail Reborn

North American P-51 Mustang facts for kids

Contents

Notable appearances in media

Scale replicas

Images for kids

See also