North American P-51 Mustang

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)
Status	Retired from military service 1984 (Dominican Air Force)
Primary users	United States Army Air Forces; Royal Air Force; Chinese Nationalist Air Force; numerous others (see below)
Number built	More than 15,000
Unit cost	US$50,985 in 1945
Variants	North American A-36 Apache ; Rolls-Royce Mustang Mk.X ; Cavalier Mustang
Developed into	North American F-82 Twin Mustang; Piper PA-48 Enforcer

The P-51 Mustang was an American fighter made by North American Aviation during World War II. Later versions escorted American bombers over Europe and Japan. There were 5 versions of the Mustang built, called the P-51A, P-51B, P-51C, P-51D, and the P-51H. To provide more power at high altitude, the B, C, D, and H versions had a Packard-built version of the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine instead of the Allison engine used in the P-51A. The Packard Merlin engine featured a more advanced supercharger, allowing much better performance above 15,000 feet when compared to the Allison. The P-51D version had a "bubble" canopy, or one unobstructed by metal supports. After World War II, it was used in the Korean War as a dive bomber and was used by many Central American air forces until the 1970s. Today, P-51 Mustangs are often used in air races.

The P-51 Mustang is an American veteran from World War II and the Korean War. The P-51 Mustang was the first U.S. built fighter airplane to control Europe after the fall of France. Mustangs met and conquered nearly every German plane from the Junkers bombers to the Messerschmitt 262s. The P-51 was a very successful aircraft, capable of many ground attack and dogfight missions.

North American P-51 Mustang Media

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.
P-51D on the Inglewood assembly line
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.
Top-scoring Mustang ace of WWII, Major George Earl Preddy Jr., with 26.83 aerial victories and five aircraft destroyed on the ground (first three victories were achieved on P-47)
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.