The discussions consisted of free-hand conceptual drawings of an aircraft with the British officials. John Attwood of NAA spent much time from January to April 1940 at the British Purchasing Commission's offices in New York discussing the British specifications of the proposed aircraft with British engineers. Kindelberger said NAA could have a better aircraft with the same Allison V-1710 engine in the air sooner than establishing a production line for the P-40. Instead, Self asked if NAA could manufacture P-40s under license from Curtiss. NAA President "Dutch" Kindelberger approached Self to sell a new medium bomber, the North American B-25 Mitchell. North American Aviation (NAA) was already supplying its T-6 Texan (known in British service as the "Harvard") trainer to the RAF, but was otherwise underused. The Curtiss-Wright plant was running at capacity, so P-40s were in short supply. aircraft then in production or flying met European standards, with only the Curtiss P-40 Tomahawk coming close. At the time, the choice was very limited, as no U.S. Self also sat on the British Air Council Subcommittee on Supply (or "Supply Committee"), and one of his tasks was to organize the manufacturing and supply of American fighter aircraft for the RAF. Self was given overall responsibility for RAF production, research, and development, and also served with Sir Wilfrid Freeman, the Air Member for Development and Production. In 1938, the British government established a purchasing commission in the United States, headed by Sir Henry Self. Main article: North American P-51 Mustang variants 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. After the Korean War, Mustangs became popular civilian warbirds and air racing aircraft. Despite the advent of jet fighters, the Mustang remained in service with some air forces until the early 1980s. Īt 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, took over this role the Mustang then became a specialized fighter-bomber. During World War II, Mustang pilots claimed to have destroyed 4,950 enemy aircraft. The P-51 was also used by Allied air forces in the North African, Mediterranean, Italian, and Pacific theaters. įrom 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. 50 caliber (12.7 mm) AN/M2 Browning machine guns. 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. Replacing the Allison with a Rolls-Royce Merlin 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 aircraft was first flown operationally by the RAF as a tactical-reconnaissance aircraft and fighter-bomber (Mustang Mk I). The Mustang was designed to use the Allison V-1710 engine, which had limited high-altitude performance in its earlier variants. 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. Rather than build an old design from another company, NAA proposed the design and production of a more modern fighter. The commission approached NAA to build Curtiss P-40 fighters under license for the Royal Air Force (RAF). Kindelberger of North American Aviation (NAA) in response to a requirement of the British Purchasing Commission. The Mustang was designed in April 1940 by a team headed by James H. 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. Still used in air racing by civilians and as warbirds. Retired from military service 1984 (Dominican Air Force).
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