Discover the history and legacy of the
P-51 Mustang, an American fighter plane that played a vital role in World War II and beyond. Learn about its design, performance, and impact on aviation history.
The North American
P-51 Mustang was one of the more successful and
iconic fighter planes of the Second World War.
Despite its very American
origins, the P-51 was designed in response to a specification from the
British government and a request from the Royal Air Force to build North
American Aviation planes under license.
Although altitude problems
designated it to RAF army-cooperation roles, the
P-51 Mustang was known for its
incredible speed and fast production output.
Origins
The development process for the P-51 Mustang began in Great Britain and was
prompted by a purchasing commission call by British civil servant Sir
Henry Self in 1938. Self was tasked with buying American military
equipment to bolster the British armed forces, particularly in response
to growing rearmament in Nazi Germany.
However, in the late 1930s, there were no American-manufactured fighter
aircraft that met European specifications. The Curtiss P-40 was
identified as the fighter that came closest to meeting the standards
required, however, these were in short supply at the time.
Self asked the North American Aviation (NAA) company if they could
build the P-40 under license as he was concerned by the fact NAA had not
designed a fighter plane before. However, NAA executive James
Kendelberger stated their company could design and build a superior
fighter plane in a shorter time, rather than modifying their production
line to build the P-40.
Development
NAA began work on drawing designs for the aircraft in January 1940.
Kendelberger found inspiration for the design by studying aircraft
produced in Britain and Germany. NAA also purchased design blueprints of
the experimental Curtiss XP-46 which they factored into their own
design.
Click here to know more about P51 Mustang.