Warplanes of the USA: North American P-51D Mustang, historic photos

Historic photos of North American P-51D Mustangs

(Bill Larkins Photo)

North American P-51D-30-NA Mustang (Serial No. 44-74607), California Air National Guard, cDec 1946.

(Bill Larkins Photo)

North American P-51D-30-NA Mustang (Serial No. 44-74825), California Air National Guard, 1951.

(USAAF Photo)

North American P-51D Mustang with D-Day stripes.

The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang is an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during the Secoond World War and the Korean War, among other conflicts. The Mustang was designed in 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 completed on 9 September 1940, 102 days after contract signing, achieving its first flight on 26 October.

The Mustang was designed to use the AllisonV-1710 engine without an export-sensitive turbo-supercharger or a multi-stage supercharger, resulting in limited high-altitude performance. The aircraft was first flown operationally and very successfully by the RAF as a tactical-reconnaissance aircraft and fighter-bomber (Mustang Mk I). In mid 1942, a development project known as the Rolls-Royce Mustang X, replaced the Allison engine with a Rolls-Royce Merlin 65 two-stage inter-cooled supercharged engine. During testing at Rolls-Royce’s airfield at Hucknall in England, it was clear the engine dramatically improved the aircraft’s performance at altitudes above 15,000 ft (4,600 m) without sacrificing range. Following receipt of the test results and after further flights by a number of USAAF pilots, the results were so positive that North American began work on converting several aircraft developing into the P-51B/C (Mustang Mk III) model, which became the first long range fighter to be able to compete with the Luftwaffe’s fighters. The definitive version, the P-51D, was powered by the Packard V-1650-7, alicense-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.

(USAAF Photo)

North American P-51B/C factory flight line, c1943.

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 the Second World War, 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. (Wikipedia)

(USAAF Photo)

North American P-51D Mustang (Serial No. 44-13366).

(USAAF Photo)

North American P-51D-5-NA Mustang (Serial No. 44-13926) from the 375th Fighter Squadron.

(USAAF Photo)

North American P-51D Mustang (Serial No. 44-13357), coded B7-R, “Tika IV”, with D-Day stripes, 374th FS 361st Fighter Group. Late July 1944.

(USAAF Photo)

North American P-51D Mustang (Serial No. 44-13357), coded B7-R, “Tika IV”, with D-Day stripes, 374th FS 361st Fighter Group. Late July 1944.

(USAAF Photo)

North American P-51D Mustang (Serial No. 44-13410), coded E2-C, “Lou IV“, 8th Air Force over the UK.

(USAAF Photo)

North American P-51D Mustang formation over the Italian Alps, c1944/45.

(USAAF Photo)

North American P-51D-5-NA Mustang (Serial No. 44-13704), “Ferocious Frankie“, coded B7-H, of the 374th Fighter Squadron, 361st Fighter Group, 8th Air Force, July 1944.

(USAAF Photo)

North American P-51D Mustang (Serial No. 44-731060), coded RF-106, 16.

(Bill Larkins Photo)

North American P-51D Mustangs, Utah Air National Guard, Santa Rosa, California.

Mustang variants:

P-51 Mustang XP-51/P-51 Mustang, P-51-2 Mustang, P-51A Mustang, P-51A-1 Mustang, P-51A-5 Mustang, P-51A-10 Mustang, F-6A Mustang, A-36 Apache, A-36A Apache, A-36A-1 Apache, P-51B Mustang, P-51B-1 Mustang, P-51B-5 Mustang, P-51B-5NA Mustang, P-51B-7NA Mustang P-51B-10NA Mustang, P-51B-15NT Mustang, P-51C Mustang, P-51C-1NT Mustang, P-51C-5NT Mustang, P-51C-10NT Mustang, P-51C-11NT Mustang, F-6C Mustang, P-51D Mustang, P-51D Mustang ,P-51D-5 Mustang, P-51D-10NA Mustang, P-51D-15NA Mustang, P-51D-20NA Mustang, P-51D-30NT Mustang, ETF-51D Mustang, F-6D (P-51D-1NA) Mustang, P-51H-1NA Mustang, P-51K-1NT Mustang, P-51K-5NT Mustang, P-51K-10NT Mustang, F-6K Mustang.