P-51
World War II aircraft | |
P-51 Mustang | |
Type | Fighter/attacker |
---|---|
Country of origin | United States |
Manufacturer | North American Aviation |
Crew | Single Seat |
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The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range single-seat fighter aircraft that entered service with Allied air forces in the middle years of World War II. The P-51 became one of the conflict's most successful and recognizable aircraft.
The P-51 flew most of its wartime missions as a bomber escort in raids over Germany, helping ensure Allied air superiority from early 1944. It also saw limited service against the Japanese in the Pacific War.
As well as being economical to produce, the Mustang was a fast, well-made and highly durable aircraft. The definitive version of the single-seat fighter was powered by the Packard V-1650-3, a two-stage two-speed supercharged 12-cylinder Packard-built version of the legendary Rolls-Royce Merlin engine, and (the P-51D) were armed with six of the aircraft version of the .50 caliber (12.7 mm) Browning machine guns.
Variants[edit]
- indicates that an aircraft is available in Aces High II.
- NA.73X Prototype: One built
- P-51: 150 built
- P-51A: 310 built at Inglewood, California
- P-51B : 1,988 built at Inglewood
- P-51C: 1,750 built at Dallas, Texas
- P-51D : A total of 8,156 were built: 6,502 at Inglewood, 1,454 at Dallas and 200 by CAC at Fisherman's Bend, Australia
- XP-51F: Three built
- XP-51G: Two built
- P-51H: 555 built at Inglewood
- XP-51J: Two built
- P-51K: 1,500 built
- P-51L: None built - cancelled
- P-51M: One built at Dallas
- Mustang I: 620 built
- Mustang III: 852 built
- Mustang IV: 281 built
- Mustang IVA: 595 built
Total number built: 15,875 (among American fighter aircraft second only to the P-47 Thunderbolt)