The North American P-51
Mustang is probably the most well-known of American fighters of WWII.
It was developed out of the NA-73x prototype that was initially a
design for the British. The first British models were dubbed the
Mustang Mk. I. The Mustang was originally powered by an Allison engine
that was too underpowered for this new fighter. The British left the
guns intact but added camerasfor a photoreconnaissance aircraft. At
least 23 RAF squadrons flew Mustangs in this configuration. The USAAF
then tested the Mustang with the Rolls Royce Merlin enginethat
dramatically improved it's performance. Many developments would
continue throughout it's service life, which lasted well into the 1950
and some countries used them into the 1970s!
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