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{{Short description|American WWII-era fighter aircraft}}
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{{Use American English|date=May 2019}}
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{{Infobox aircraft
| name = P-51 Mustang
| image = P-51-361.jpg
| caption = P-51D nicknamed "Tika IV" of 361st Fighter Group with underwing [[drop tanks]]
| type = [[Fighter aircraft|Fighter]]
| national_origin = United States
| manufacturer = [[North American Aviation]]
| first_flight = 26 October 1940<ref>{{Citation |url=https://www.boeing.com/history/products/p-51-mustang.page |publisher=Boeing |title=P-51 Mustang Fighter}}.</ref>
| introduction = January 1942 (RAF)<ref>{{Citation |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U2OU-T8-s94C&pg=PA7 |title=Mustang Aces of the Ninth & Fifteenth Air Forces & the RAF |type=book |page=47 |isbn=9781855325838 |last1=Scutts |first1=Jerry |date=13 November 1995 |publisher=Bloomsbury USA}}.</ref>
| retired = Retired from military service 1984 ([[Dominican Air Force]])
| primary_user = [[United States Army Air Forces]]
| more_users = <!-- Limited to three additional users -->[[Royal Air Force]]<br />[[Royal New Zealand Air Force]]<br/>[[Royal Canadian Air Force]]
| number_built = More than 15,000<ref name= "NMUSAF">{{Cite news |url=https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Visit/Museum-Exhibits/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/196263/north-american-p-51d-mustang/ |title=North American P-51D Mustang |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161122133242/http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Visit/MuseumExhibits/FactSheets/Display/tabid/509/Article/196263/north-american-p-51d-mustang.aspx |archive-date=22 November 2016 |newspaper=[[National Museum of the United States Air Force]] |date=20 April 2015 |url-status=live |access-date=22 October 2016}}<!-- 15,018 is the usual figure--></ref>
| developed_from = 
| variants = [[North American A-36]]<br />[[Rolls-Royce Mustang Mk.X]]<br />[[CAC Mustang]]<br />[[Cavalier Mustang]]
| developed_into = [[North American F-82 Twin Mustang]]<br />[[Piper PA-48 Enforcer]]
}}

The '''North American Aviation P-51 Mustang''' is an American long-range, single-seat [[fighter aircraft|fighter]] and [[fighter-bomber]] used during [[World War II]] 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 Warhawk|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.<ref>{{Cite web |date=24 May 2020 |title=The North American P-51 Mustang: A "Little Friend" with a Big Impact |url=https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/north-american-p-51-mustang |access-date=5 November 2023 |website=The National WWII Museum {{!}} New Orleans |language=en}}</ref>

The Mustang was designed to use the [[Allison V-1710]] engine without an export-sensitive [[Turbocharger|turbosupercharger]]<ref>{{Cite book |last=Haight |first=John M. |title=American aid to France |publisher=Antheneum |year=1970 |isbn=978-1131644110 |edition=1st |location=New York |pages=210–222}}</ref> or a multi-stage supercharger, resulting in limited high-altitude performance. The aircraft was first flown operationally by the RAF as a tactical-[[reconnaissance aircraft]] and fighter-bomber (Mustang Mk I). In mid 1942, a development project known as the [[Mustang X|Rolls-Royce Mustang X]], replaced the Allison engine with a [[Rolls-Royce Merlin]] 65 two-stage inter-cooled supercharged engine. During testing at [[Hucknall Aerodrome#Rolls-Royce Flight Test Establishment|Rolls-Royce's airfield at Hucknall]] in England, it was clear the engine dramatically improved the aircraft's performance at altitudes above {{convert|15000|ft|m|abbr=on}} without sacrificing range.<ref>Kinzey 1996, p. 57.</ref> Following receipt of the test results and after further flights by 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.<ref>Kinzey 1996, p. 56.</ref> The definitive version, the [[North American P-51 Mustang variants#P-51D and P-51K|P-51D]], was powered by the [[Packard V-1650 Merlin|Packard V-1650-7]], a [[Licensed production|license-built]] version of the two-speed, two-stage-[[supercharger|supercharged]] [[Rolls-Royce Merlin#Variants|Merlin 66]], and was armed with six [[.50 BMG|.50 caliber]] (12.7&nbsp;mm) [[M2 Browning#AN/M2|AN/M2 Browning machine guns]].<ref>Kinzey 1997, pp. 10–13.</ref>

From late 1943 into 1945, P-51Bs and P-51Cs (supplemented by P-51Ds from mid-1944) were used by the [[United States Army Air Forces|USAAF's]] [[Eighth Air Force]] to escort bombers in raids over [[Nazi Germany|Germany]], while the RAF's [[RAF Second Tactical Air Force|Second Tactical Air Force]] and the USAAF's [[Ninth Air Force#World War II|Ninth Air Force]] used the Merlin-powered Mustangs as fighter-bombers, roles in which the Mustang helped ensure Allied [[Air supremacy|air superiority]] in 1944.<ref name="Gunston p. 58">Gunston 1984, p. 58.</ref> The P-51 was also used by [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] air forces in the [[Mediterranean and Middle East theatre of World War II|North African, Mediterranean]], [[Italian Campaign (World War II)|Italian]], and [[Asiatic-Pacific Theater|Pacific]] theaters. During World War II, Mustang pilots claimed to have destroyed 4,950 enemy aircraft.{{efn|Among [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] aircraft, the P-51's claimed victory total in World War II was second to the carrier-borne [[Grumman F6F Hellcat]].<ref>Tillman 1996, pp. 78–79.</ref>}}

At the start of the Korean War, the Mustang, by then redesignated '''F-51''', was the main fighter of the United States until [[First-generation jet fighter|jet fighters]], including North American's [[North American F-86 Sabre|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 [[warbird]]s and [[air racing]] aircraft.

==Design and development==
{{Main|North American P-51 Mustang variants}}
[[File:NA-73X-NX19998-.jpg|thumb|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.]]
[[File:Musas 2.jpg|thumb|P-51D on the Inglewood assembly line]]

In 1938, the British government established a purchasing commission in the United States, headed by Sir [[Henry Self]].<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://www.aerosociety.com/media/10277/on-the-planning-of-british-aircraft-production-for-second-world-war-and-reference-to-james-connolly_2018-09.pdf |title=On the planning of British aircraft production for the Second World War and reference to James Connolly |journal=Journal of Aeronautical History |last=Brinkworth |first=Brian |pages=233–299 |access-date=14 September 2021}}</ref><ref>Pearcy 1996, p. 15.</ref> 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. 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. At the time, the choice was very limited, as no US aircraft then in production or flying met European standards, with only the [[Curtiss P-40 Warhawk|Curtiss P-40 Tomahawk]] coming close. The [[Curtiss-Wright]] plant was running at capacity, so P-40s were in short supply.<ref>Pearcy 1996, p. 30.</ref>

North American Aviation (NAA) was already supplying its [[North American T-6 Texan|T-6 Texan]] (known in British service as the "Harvard") trainer to the RAF, but was otherwise underused. NAA President [[James H. Kindelberger|"Dutch" Kindelberger]] approached Self to sell a new [[medium bomber]], the [[North American B-25 Mitchell]]. Instead, Self asked if NAA could manufacture P-40s [[Licensed production|under license]]<!--Engvar?--> from Curtiss. 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.

[[John Leland Atwood|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. The discussions consisted of free-hand conceptual drawings of an aircraft with the British officials. Self was concerned that NAA had not ever designed a fighter, insisting they obtain the drawings and study the wind-tunnel test results for the P-40, before presenting them with detailed design drawings based on the agreed concept. NAA purchased the drawings and data from Curtiss for £56,000, confirming the purchase with the British Purchasing Commission. The commission approved the resulting detailed design drawings, signing the commencement of the Mustang project on 4 May 1940, and firmly ordering 320 on 29 May 1940. Prior to this, NAA only had a letter of intent for an order of 320 aircraft. Curtiss engineers accused NAA of plagiarism.<ref name="Martyn Chorlton 2012">{{Citation |title=Allison-Engined P-51 Mustang |first=Martyn |last=Chorlton |publisher=Osprey |series=Air Vanguard 1 |date=2012 |isbn=9781780961514 <!-- |asin=1780961510 --> |pages=11, 12}}</ref>

The British Purchasing Commission stipulated armament of four [[.303 British|.303 in (7.7 mm)]] machine guns (as used on the Tomahawk), a unit cost of no more than $40,000, and delivery of the first production aircraft by January 1941.<ref name= "Delve p. 11">Delve 1999, p. 11.</ref> In March 1940, 320 aircraft were ordered by Freeman, who had become the executive head of the [[Ministry of Aircraft Production]] (MAP) and the contract was promulgated on 24 April.<ref name= "Delve p. 12">Delve 1999, p. 12.</ref>

The ''NA-73X'', which was designed by a team led by lead engineer [[Edgar Schmued]], followed the best conventional practice of the era, designed for ease of mass manufacturing.<ref name="Martyn Chorlton 2012"/> The design included several new features.{{#tag:ref|Because the new fighter was designed to a British, rather than an American or USAAC specification, it was allocated a private-venture civil designation instead of the more usual XP- (eXperimental Pursuit) group.|group=nb}} One was a wing designed using [[laminar flow]] airfoils, which were developed co-operatively by NAA and the [[National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics]] (NACA). These airfoils generated low drag at high speeds.<ref>Jackson 1992, p. 3.</ref>{{efn|The Mustang, with its relatively thin laminar flow wing, had a tactical Mach number (the maximum speed at which combat was feasible) of 0.78. This compared favourably with the Messerschmitt Bf 109 and the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, which both had a tactical Mach number of 0.75. The other escort fighters available to the Allies were the Lockheed P-38 Lightning, with a tactical Mach number of only 0.68 and the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, at 0.71. At the high altitudes at which fighter escorts operated in Europe made this an important performance difference.<ref name="ArmouredCarriers">{{cite AV media |people=Eric 'Winkle' Brown |title=Where US fighters failed over Europe |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQzSQUQ33OQ |date=13 May 2023 |via=YouTube}}</ref>}} During the development of the NA-73X, a wind-tunnel test of two wings, one using NACA five-digit airfoils and the other using the new NAA/NACA 45–100 airfoils, was performed in the [[University of Washington]] Kirsten Wind Tunnel. The results of this test showed the superiority of the wing designed with the [[NACA airfoil|NAA/NACA 45–100 airfoils]].<ref>Wagner 2000, pp. 16, 18.</ref>{{#tag:ref|For more specific information on the P-51's airfoil, known as the NAA/NACA 45–100 series, see<ref>Selig, Michael. [http://www.ae.uiuc.edu/m-selig/ads/afplots/p51droot.gif "P-51D wingroot section."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080408233751/http://www.ae.uiuc.edu/m-selig/ads/afplots/p51droot.gif |date=8 April 2008 }} ''uiuc.edu.'' Retrieved: 22 March 2008</ref>|group=nb}}

[[File:XP-51, serial number 41-039 (cropped).jpg|thumb|left|XP-51 ''{{USAF serial|41|039}}'' is one of two Mustang Mk I aircraft handed over to the USAAC for testing]]
The other feature was a new cooling arrangement positioned aft (single ducted water and oil radiators assembly) that reduced the fuselage drag and effects on the wing. Later,<ref>"We also found out, later on, that the heat from the engine actually produced thrust... That horsepower gained by the radiator was only discovered by wind-tunnel investigation..." Mustang Designer, Edgar Schmued and the P-51, p. 61. The comparison was between wind-tunnel tests of full-scale models, with normal heating (thermic engine) and without heat production (electric engine).</ref> after much development, they discovered that the cooling assembly could take advantage of the [[Meredith effect]], in which heated air exited the radiator with a slight amount of [[jet thrust]]. Because NAA lacked a suitable wind tunnel to test this feature, it used the [[GALCIT]] {{convert|10|ft|m|adj=on|abbr=on|order=flip}} wind tunnel at the [[California Institute of Technology]]. This led to some controversy over whether the Mustang's cooling system [[aerodynamics]] were developed by NAA's engineer Schmued or by Curtiss, as NAA had purchased the complete set of P-40 wind tunnel data and flight test reports.<ref>Yenne 1989, p. 49.</ref><ref>The British Air Ministry sent over the Canadian aerodynamicist [[Beverley Shenstone]] in early 1941, who also assisted with the cooling airflow (Ray Wagner ''Mustang Designer'')</ref> The NA-73X was also one of the first aircraft to have a fuselage [[lofting|lofted]] mathematically using [[conic section]]s; this resulted in smooth, low-drag surfaces.<ref name ="Jac4">Jackson 1992, p. 4.</ref> To aid production, the airframe was divided into five main sections—forward, center, rear fuselage, and two wing halves—[[Modular design|all of which]] were fitted with wiring and piping before being joined.<ref name ="Jac4" />

The prototype NA-73X was rolled out in September 1940, just 102 days after the order had been placed; it first flew on 26 October 1940, 149 days into the contract, an uncommonly short development period even during the war.<ref>Kinzey 1996, pp. 5, 11.</ref> With test pilot [[Vance Breese]] at the controls,<ref>[[Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft]], p. 6.</ref> the prototype handled well and accommodated an impressive fuel load. The aircraft's three-section, [[semi-monocoque]] fuselage was constructed entirely of [[2024 aluminium alloy|24S aluminum alloy]] (a type of [[Duralumin]]) to save weight.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Ouissi |first1=Toufa |last2=Collaveri |first2=Gilles |last3=Sciau |first3=Philippe |last4=Olivier |first4=Jean-Marc |last5=Brunet |first5=Magali |title=Comparison of Aluminum Alloys from aircraft of four nations involved in the WWII conﬂict using multiscale analyses and archival study |journal=Heritage |volume=2 |pages=2788, 2791, 2792 |date=November 2019 |issue=4 |doi=10.3390/heritage2040172 |doi-access=free |url=https://mdpi-res.com/d_attachment/heritage/heritage-02-00172/article_deploy/heritage-02-00172-v2.pdf?version=1576405224}} See also [https://mdpi-res.com/d_attachment/heritage/heritage-02-00172/article_deploy/heritage-02-00172-s001.pdf?version=1576405227 Supplementary material.]</ref> It was armed with four .30 caliber (7.62&nbsp;mm) [[M1919 Browning machine gun#Aircraft|AN/M2 Browning machine gun]]s in the wings and two .50 caliber (12.7&nbsp;mm) [[M2 Browning#.50 Browning AN/M2|AN/M2 Browning machine gun]]s mounted under the engine and firing through the propeller arc using a [[Synchronization gear|gun-synchronizing gear]].{{#tag:ref|This was one of the last US applications of gun synchronization – later American single piston-engined fighters, including later models of the Mustang, all had their gun armament concentrated in the wings.|group=nb}}

While the USAAC could block any sales it considered detrimental to the interests of the US, the NA-73 was considered to be a special case because it had been designed at the behest of the British and all dealings were directly between the BPC and NAA, and did not involve the US Army or Wright Field in any way. In September 1940, a further 300 NA-73s were ordered by the MAP.<ref name= "Delve p. 11" /> To ensure uninterrupted delivery, Colonel [[Oliver P. Echols]] arranged with the Anglo-French Purchasing Commission to deliver the aircraft and NAA gave two examples (41-038 and 41-039) to the USAAC for evaluation.<ref name=gml2007>[http://www.gml2007.com/history3.asp "P-51 History: Mustang I."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080815221501/http://www.gml2007.com/history3.asp |date=15 August 2008 }} ''The Gathering of Mustangs & Legends''. Retrieved: 26 March 2009.</ref>{{#tag:ref|One of the NA-73s given to the army, s/n 41-038 is still in existence and last flew in 1982.<ref>[http://museum.eaa.org/collection/aircraft/4North%20American%20XP-51%20Mustang.asp "North American XP-51 Prototype No. 4 – NX51NA ."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029203038/http://museum.eaa.org/collection/aircraft/4North%20American%20XP-51%20Mustang.asp |date=29 October 2013 }} ''EAA AirVenture Museum (Experimental Aircraft Association)''. Retrieved: 23 July 2013.</ref>|group=nb}}

It is important to note that the Mustang I (NA-73 and NA-83) and the Ia (NA-91), produced for the British, were not equivalent to the P-51A which was a later model (NA-99). Two British Mustang Is were held back by the USAAF and given the provisional model number XP-51. The USAAF held back 57 Mustang Ia aircraft armed with 4 x 20mm Hispano cannon, from the third British order, converting most of them to tactical reconnaissance aircraft and designating them P-51-2/F6A. North American retained the second aircraft of this batch to help develop the P-51A.<ref>Willis Matthew – ''Mustang The untold story'', 2020, Pages=261–264, Key Books ISBN 978-1-913295-88-2</ref>

The Allison engine in the Mustang I had a single-stage supercharger that caused power to drop off rapidly above {{convert|15000|ft|m}}. This made it unsuitable for use at the altitudes where combat was taking place in Europe. Allison's attempts at developing a high-altitude engine were underfunded, but produced the V-1710-45, which featured a variable-speed auxiliary supercharger and developed {{convert|1150|hp|kW}} at {{convert|22400|ft|m}}. In November 1941, NAA studied the possibility of using it, but fitting its excessive length in the Mustang would require extensive airframe modifications and cause long production delays.<ref name="Marshall 2020" /><ref name="ModDesig" /> In May 1942, following positive reports from the RAF on the Mustang I's performance below 15,000&nbsp;ft, Ronald Harker, a test pilot for [[Rolls-Royce Limited|Rolls-Royce]], suggested fitting a [[Rolls-Royce Merlin#Basic component overview .28Merlin 61.29|Merlin 61]], as fitted to the [[Supermarine Spitfire (late Merlin-powered variants)#Mk IX .28type 361.29|Spitfire Mk IX]].<ref name="Marshall 2020">{{cite book |last1=Marshall |first1=James |last2=Ford |first2=Lowell |title=P-51B Mustang: North American's Bastard Stepchild that Saved the Eighth Air Force |date=21 July 2020 |publisher=Osprey Publishing |location=Oxford, UK |isbn=978-1-4728-3967-1 |chapter=The Birth of the Merlin Mustang}}</ref> The Merlin 61 had a two-speed, two-stage, intercooled supercharger, designed by [[Stanley Hooker]] of Rolls-Royce.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Hooker |first1=Stanley |title=Not much of an engineer |date=1984 |publisher=Airlife Books |location=UK |isbn=978-1-85310-285-1 |pages=56}}</ref> Both the Merlin 61 and V-1710-39 were capable of about {{convert|1570|hp|kW}} [[war emergency power]] at relatively low altitudes, but the Merlin developed {{convert|1390|hp|kW}} at {{convert|23500|ft|m}} versus the Allison's {{convert|1150|hp|kW}} at {{convert|11800|ft|m}},<ref name="Hazen memo" /><ref name="RDE 66-41">{{cite web |title=Merlin 61, 65 & V-1650-3 Power Curves. R.D.E. 66-41 |url=http://www.wwiiaircraftperformance.org/mustang/V-1650-3_Merlin61_65_curves.jpg |access-date=10 September 2020 |archive-date=6 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230306193101/http://www.wwiiaircraftperformance.org/mustang/V-1650-3_Merlin61_65_curves.jpg |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="ModDesig">{{cite book |title=Model Designations of U.S.A.F. Aircraft Engines |date=1949 |publisher=U.S.A.F. Air Material Command |page=29 |url=http://www.enginehistory.org/References/ModDesig/jpg/I29.jpg |access-date=10 September 2020}}</ref> delivering an increase in top speed from {{convert|390|mph|kn km/h|abbr=on}} at ~{{convert|15000|ft|m}} to an estimated {{convert|440|mph|kn km/h|abbr=on}} at {{convert|28100|ft|m}}. In the end the Merlin 61 was never fitted to the Mustang X, (or any other Mustang). The 65 series (a medium altitude engine) was fitted to all Mustang X prototypes.<ref>Rolls Royce and the Mustang, Birch David, Rolls Royce Heritage Society, page=40</ref>

Initially, the Mustang's steadfast champion, USAAC/F Assistant Air Attaché Major Thomas Hitchcock, was concerned that the USAAF had little or no interest in the potential of the P-51A and its development with the Merlin engine. He wrote: "Its development in this theatre has suffered for various reasons. Sired by the English out of an American mother, the Mustang has no parent in the Army Air Corps to appreciate and push its good points. It does not fully satisfy good people on both sides of the Atlantic who seem more interested in pointing with pride to the development of a 100% national product..."<ref>Birch, David. Rolls-Royce and the Mustang Page=38. Derby, UK: Rolls-Royce Heritage Trust, 1987. ISBN 0-9511710-0-3.</ref>

Nevertheless, during the British service development program of the Mustang I at [[Hucknall Aerodrome#Rolls-Royce Flight Test Establishment|Rolls-Royce's airfield at Hucknall]], a close relationship was developed between NAA, the RAF Air Fighting Development Unit and Rolls-Royce Flight Test Establishment at Hucknall.

Following extensive communication between Hitchcock (based in England), Rolls Royce engineers and Phillip Legarra at NAA regarding the promising outlook of a Merlin Mustang, along with the subsequent work in progress by Rolls Royce on the Mustang X, NAA representatives including Mustang designer Schmued visited the UK to examine and discuss the project in detail.<ref>Birch, David. Rolls-Royce and the Mustang. Derby, UK: Rolls-Royce Heritage Trust, 1987. ISBN 0-9511710-0-3</ref>

The promising calculations and modification progress by Rolls Royce led in July 1942 to a contract being let for two NAA Merlin prototypes, briefly designated XP-78, but soon to become the XP-51B.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Gruenhagen |first1=Robert |title=Mustang: The Story of the P-51 Fighter (rev. ed.) |date=1976 |publisher=Arco Publishing |location=New York |page=68}}</ref> Based on the Packard V-1650-3 duplicating the Merlin 61's performance, NAA estimated for the XP-78 a top speed of {{convert|445|mph|kn km/h|abbr=on}} at {{convert|28000|ft|m}}, and a service ceiling of {{convert|42000|ft|m}}.<ref name="Marshall 2020" />

Initial flights of what was known to Rolls-Royce as the [[Rolls-Royce Mustang X|Mustang X]] were completed at Hucknall in October 1942.<ref name="Marshall 2020" />

The first flight of the US version, designated XP-51B took place in November 1942, but the USAAF had become so interested in the Merlin Mustang project that an initial contract for 400 aircraft was placed three months beforehand in August.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Gruenhagen |first1=Robert W. |title=Mustang: The Story of the P-51 Fighter (rev. ed.) |date=1976 |publisher=Arco Publishing |location=New York |page=74}}</ref> The conversion led to production of the P-51B beginning at NAA's Inglewood, California, plant in June 1943,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Newby Grant |first1=William |title=P-51 Mustang |year=1980 |publisher=Paul Hamlyn Pty Ltd |location=UK |isbn=0-7296-0183-8 |pages=24}}</ref> and P-51s started to become available to the 8th and [[Ninth Air Force|9th air force]]s in the winter of 1943–1944. Conversion to the two-stage supercharged and intercooled Merlin 60 series, over {{convert|350|lbs|abbr=on}} heavier than the single-stage Allison, driving a four-bladed Hamilton Standard propeller, required moving the wing slightly forward to correct the aircraft's [[Center of gravity of an aircraft|center of gravity]]. After the USAAF, in July 1943, directed fighter aircraft manufacturers to maximize internal fuel capacity, NAA calculated the P-51B's center of gravity to be forward enough to include an additional {{convert|85|gal|abbr=on}} fuel tank in the fuselage behind the pilot, greatly increasing the aircraft's range over that of the earlier P-51A. NAA incorporated the tank in the production of the P-51B-10, and supplied kits to retrofit it to all existing P-51Bs.<ref name="Marshall 2020" />

==Operational history==
===United Kingdom operational service===
[[File:Mustang III at Hucknall 1943 (cropped).jpg|thumb|A Royal Air Force North American Mustang Mk III (''FX908'') on the ground at [[Hucknall#Rolls-Royce|Hucknall]]]]
The Mustang was initially developed for the RAF, which was its first user. As the first Mustangs were built to British requirements, these aircraft used factory numbers and were not P-51s; the order comprised 320 NA-73s, followed by 300 NA-83s, all of which were designated Mustang Mark I by the RAF.<ref>Gruenhagen 1980, p. 193.</ref> The first RAF Mustangs supplied under [[Lend-Lease]] were 93 Mk Ia designated as P-51s by the USAAF, followed by 50 P-51As used as Mustang Mk IIs.<ref>Gruenhagen 1980, pp. 195–196.</ref> Aircraft supplied to Britain under Lend-Lease were required for accounting purposes to be on the [[United States Army Air Corps|USAAC's]] books before they could be supplied to Britain, but the British Aircraft Purchasing Commission signed its first contract for the North American NA-73 on 24 April 1940, before Lend-Lease was in effect. Thus, the initial order for the P-51 Mustang (as it was later known) was placed by the British under the "[[Cash and carry (World War II)|cash and carry]]" program, as required by the US Neutrality Acts of the 1930s.{{citation needed|date=December 2021}}

After the arrival of the initial aircraft in the UK in October 1941, the first squadron of Mustang Mk Is entered service in January 1942, the first being [[No. 26 Squadron RAF]].<ref>Delve (1994), p. 191</ref> Due to poor high-altitude performance, the Mustangs were used by [[RAF Army Cooperation Command|Army Co-operation Command]], rather than Fighter Command, and were used for tactical reconnaissance and ground-attack duties. On 10 May 1942, Mustangs first flew over France, near [[Berck-sur-Mer]].<ref>Hatch (1993), p. 15</ref> On 27 July 1942, 16 RAF Mustangs undertook their first long-range reconnaissance mission over Germany. During the amphibious [[Dieppe Raid]] on the French coast (19 August 1942), four British and Canadian Mustang squadrons, including 26 Squadron, saw action covering the assault on the ground. By 1943–1944, British Mustangs were used extensively to seek out [[V-1 flying bomb]] sites. The last RAF Mustang Mk I and Mustang Mk II aircraft were struck off charge in 1945.

Army Co-operation Command used the Mustang's superior speed and long range to conduct low-altitude "[[Glossary of RAF code names|Rhubarb]]" raids over continental Europe, sometimes penetrating German airspace. The V-1710 engine ran smoothly at 1,100 rpm, versus 1,600 for the Merlin, enabling long flights over water at {{cvt|50|ft|m}} altitude before approaching the enemy coastline. Over land, these flights followed a zig-zag course, turning every six minutes to foil enemy attempts at plotting an interception. During the first 18 months of Rhubarb raids, RAF Mustang Mk.Is and Mk.Ias destroyed or heavily damaged 200 locomotives, over 200 canal barges, and an unknown number of enemy aircraft parked on the ground, for a loss of eight Mustangs. At sea level, the Mustangs were able to outrun all enemy aircraft encountered.<ref name="Born memo">{{cite web |last1=Born |first1=Charles |title=British Army Cooperation Tactical Employment of the Mustang I (P-51) |url=http://www.wwiiaircraftperformance.org/mustang/e-geh-16.html |access-date=5 September 2020 |archive-date=23 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220523081239/http://www.wwiiaircraftperformance.org/mustang/e-geh-16.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> The RAF gained a significant performance enhancement at low altitude by removing or resetting the engine's manifold pressure regulator to allow overboosting, raising output as high as 1,780 horsepower at 70 in Hg.<ref name="Born memo" /><ref name="Hazen memo">{{cite web |last1=Hazen |first1=R. |title=Service Use of High Power Outputs on Allison V-1710 Engines |url=http://www.wwiiaircraftperformance.org/P-40/V-1710_Service_Use_of_High_Power_Outputs.pdf |publisher=Allison Division, General Motors Corporation |access-date=5 September 2020 |archive-date=23 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220523054903/http://www.wwiiaircraftperformance.org/P-40/V-1710_Service_Use_of_High_Power_Outputs.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> In December 1942, Allison approved only 1,570 horsepower at 60 in Hg manifold pressure for the V-1710-39.<ref name="Hazen memo" />

The RAF later operated 308 P-51Bs and 636 P-51Cs,<ref>Gruenhagen 1980, pp. 199–200.</ref> which were known in RAF service as Mustang Mk IIIs; the first units converted to the type in late 1943 and early 1944. Mustang Mk III units were operational until the end of World War II, though many units had already converted to the Mustang Mk IV (P-51D) and Mk IVa (P-51K) (828 in total, comprising 282 Mk IV and 600 Mk IVa).<ref>Gruenhagen 1980, pp. 201, 205.</ref> As all except the earliest aircraft were obtained under Lend-Lease, all Mustang aircraft still on RAF charge at the end of the war were either returned to the USAAF "on paper" or retained by the RAF for scrapping. The last RAF Mustangs were retired from service in 1947.<ref name="Gunston p. 39" />

===US operational service===
====Prewar theory====
Prewar doctrine was based on the idea "[[the bomber will always get through]]".<ref name="Miller 2007, p. 41">Miller 2007, p. 41.</ref> Despite RAF and Luftwaffe experience with daylight bombing, the USAAF still incorrectly believed in 1942 that [[Combat box|tightly packed formations of bombers]] would have so much firepower that they could fend off fighters on their own.<ref name="Miller 2007, p. 41" /> Fighter escort was a low priority, but when the concept was discussed in 1941, the [[Lockheed P-38 Lightning]] was considered to be most appropriate, as it had the speed and range. Another school of thought favored a [[Boeing YB-40 Flying Fortress|heavily up-armed "gunship" conversion of a strategic bomber]].<ref name="Mil0646">Miller 2007, p. 46.</ref> A single-engined, high-speed fighter with the range of a bomber was thought to be an engineering impossibility.<ref>Miller 2007, p. 42.</ref>

====Eighth Air Force bomber operations 1942–1943====
[[File:C-1098 - A stacked-down echelon of P-51 Mustang fighters heading homeward after an uneventful bomber escort mission over Europe, (52289765424).jpg|thumb|P-51 Mustangs of the [[375th Fighter Squadron]], [[Eighth Air Force]] mid-1944]]
The [[Eighth Air Force|8th Air Force]] started operations from Britain in August 1942. At first, because of the limited scale of operations, no conclusive evidence showed American doctrine was failing. In the 26 operations flown to the end of 1942, the loss rate had been under 2%.<ref>Hastings 1979, [https://books.google.com/books?id=XUMuAAAAQBAJ&dq=max+hastings+bomber+command+%281979%29&pg=PA379 pp. 214–215.]</ref>

In January 1943, at the [[Casablanca Conference]], the Allies formulated the [[Combined Bomber Offensive]] (CBO) plan for "round-the-clock" bombing – USAAF daytime operations complementing the RAF nighttime raids on industrial centers. In June 1943, the [[Combined Chiefs of Staff]] issued the [[Pointblank Directive]] to destroy the Luftwaffe's capacity before the planned invasion of Europe, putting the CBO into full implementation. German daytime fighter efforts were, at that time, focused on the Eastern Front and several other distant locations. Initial efforts by the 8th met limited and unorganized resistance, but with every mission, the Luftwaffe moved more aircraft to the west and quickly improved their battle direction. In late 1943, the 8th Air Force's heavy bombers conducted a series of deep penetration raids into Germany, beyond the range of escort fighters. The [[Schweinfurt–Regensburg mission]] in August lost 60 B-17s of a force of 376, the [[Second Raid on Schweinfurt|14 October attack]] lost 77 of a force of 291—26% of the attacking force.{{Sfn|Craven|Cate|1949|pp=704–705}}

For the US, the very concept of self-defending bombers was called into question, but instead of abandoning daylight raids and turning to night bombing, as the RAF suggested, they chose other paths; at first, bombers converted to gunships (the [[Boeing YB-40]]) were believed to be able to escort the bomber formations, but when the concept proved to be unsuccessful, thoughts then turned to the Lockheed P-38 Lightning.<ref>Boylan 1955, p. 154.</ref> In early 1943, the USAAF also decided that the [[Republic P-47 Thunderbolt]] and P-51B be considered for the roles of smaller escort fighters, and in July, a report stated that the P-51B was "the most promising plane" with an endurance of 4 hours 45 minutes with the standard internal fuel of 184 gallons plus 150 gallons carried externally.<ref>Boylan 1955, p. 155.</ref> In August, a P-51B was fitted with an extra internal 85-gallon tank, but problems with longitudinal stability occurred, so some compromises in performance with the full tank were made. Since the fuel from the fuselage tank was used during the initial stages of a mission, the fuel tank would be fitted in all Mustangs destined for [[VIII Fighter Command]].<ref>Boylan 1955, pp. 155–156.</ref>

====P-51 introduction====
The P-51 Mustang was a solution to the need for an effective bomber escort. It used a common, reliable engine and had internal space for a larger-than-average fuel load. With external fuel tanks, it could accompany the bombers from England to Germany and back.<ref name=Parker>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tlsnngEACAAJ |pages=77, 90–92 |isbn=978-0-9897906-0-4 |last=Parker |first=Dana T. |title=Building Victory: Aircraft Manufacturing in the Los Angeles Area in World War II |date=19 October 2013 |publisher=Dana T. Parker}}.</ref>

By the time the Pointblank offensive resumed in early 1944, matters had changed. Bomber escort defenses were initially layered, using the shorter-range P-38s and P-47s to escort the bombers during the initial stages of the raid before handing over to the P-51s when they were forced to turn for home. This provided continuous coverage during the raid. The Mustang was so clearly superior to earlier US designs that the 8th Air Force began to steadily switch its fighter groups to the Mustang, first swapping arriving P-47 groups to the 9th Air Force in exchange for those that were using P-51s, then gradually converting its Thunderbolt and Lightning groups. By the end of 1944, 14 of its 15 groups flew Mustangs.<ref>Dean 1997, p. 338.</ref>

The Luftwaffe's twin-engined [[Messerschmitt Bf 110]] heavy fighters brought up to deal with the bombers proved to be easy prey for the Mustangs, and had to be quickly withdrawn from combat. The [[Focke-Wulf Fw 190]]A, already suffering from poor high-altitude performance, was outperformed by the Mustang at the B-17's altitude, and when laden with [[Focke-Wulf Fw 190 operational history#The Sturmböcke|heavy bomber-hunting weapons]] as a replacement for the more vulnerable twin-engined ''Zerstörer'' heavy fighters, it suffered heavy losses. The [[Messerschmitt Bf 109]] had comparable performance at high altitudes, but its lightweight airframe was even more greatly affected by increases in armament. The Mustang's much lighter armament, tuned for antifighter combat, allowed it to overcome these single-engined opponents.{{citation needed|date=October 2021}}

====Fighting the ''Luftwaffe''====
[[File:Pilots of the 332nd Fighter Group.jpg|thumb|left|Pilots of the all-Black American [[332d Fighter Group|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]]]]

At the start of 1944, Major General [[Jimmy Doolittle|James Doolittle]], the new commander of the 8th Air Force, released most fighters from the requirement of flying in close formation with the bombers, allowing them free rein to attack the Luftwaffe wherever it could be found. The aim was to achieve [[air supremacy]]. Mustang groups were sent far ahead of the bombers in a "fighter sweep" to intercept German fighters. Bomber crews complained, but by June, supremacy was achieved.<ref>{{cite book |title=American Military Leaders: A-L |last=Fredriksen |first=John C. |date=1999 |page=227 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=9781576070017 |volume=1}}</ref>

The ''Luftwaffe'' answered with the ''Gefechtsverband'' ("battle formation"). This consisted of a ''Sturmgruppe'' of heavily armed and armored Fw 190As escorted by two ''Begleitgruppen'' of Bf 109s, whose task was to keep the Mustangs away from the Fw 190s as they attacked the bombers. This strategy proved to be problematic, as the large German formation took a long time to assemble and was difficult to maneuver. It was often intercepted by the P-51 "fighter sweeps" before it could attack the bombers. However, German attacks against bombers could be effective when they did occur; the bomber-destroyer Fw 190As swept in from astern and often pressed their attacks to within {{convert|100|yd|m|abbr=on|sigfig=1|order=flip}}.<ref name= "Spick p. 111.">Spick 1983, p. 111.</ref>

[[File:P-51B 100FS 332FG Italy 1944.jpg|thumb|A USAAF armorer of the [[100th Fighter Squadron]], [[332nd Fighter Group]], 15th US 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]]
While not always able to avoid contact with the escorts, the threat of mass attacks and later the "company front" (eight abreast) assaults by armored ''Sturmgruppe'' Fw 190As brought an urgency to attacking the ''Luftwaffe'' wherever it could be found, either in the air or on the ground. Beginning [[Big Week|in late February 1944]], 8th Air Force fighter units began systematic strafing attacks on German airfields with increasing frequency and intensity, with the objective of gaining air supremacy over the [[Normandy]] battlefield. In general, these were conducted by units returning from escort missions, but beginning in March, many groups also were assigned airfield attacks instead of bomber support. The P-51, particularly with the advent of the K-14 [[gyro gunsight]] and the development of "Clobber Colleges"<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.b24.net/2ndADA-Newsletters/1974-Dec.pdf |title=Clobber College |last=Robertie |first=William G |publisher=Second Air Division Association |volume=12 |date=December 1974 |issue=4 |access-date=2 June 2021}}</ref> for the training of fighter pilots in late 1944, was a decisive element in Allied countermeasures against the ''Jagdverbände''.

The numerical superiority of the USAAF fighters, superb flying characteristics of the P-51, and pilot proficiency helped cripple the ''Luftwaffe''{{'}}s fighter force. As a result, the fighter threat to the US, and later British, bombers was greatly diminished by July 1944. The RAF, long proponents of night bombing for protection, were able to reopen daylight bombing in 1944 as a result of the crippling of the ''Luftwaffe'' fighter arm. [[Reichsmarschall]] [[Hermann Göring]], commander of the ''Luftwaffe'' during the war, was quoted as saying, "When I saw Mustangs over Berlin, I knew the jig was up."<ref>Bowen 1980{{page needed|date=May 2011}}</ref><ref>Sherman, Steven. [http://acepilots.com/usaaf_eto_aces.html "Aces of the Eighth Air Force in World War Two"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110807053549/http://acepilots.com/usaaf_eto_aces.html |date=7 August 2011 }} ''Ace pilots'', June 1999. Retrieved: 14 October 2025</ref><ref name=Parker/>

====Beyond Pointblank====
[[File:P51-1 300.jpg|thumb|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 2 March 1945, from unknown causes at Haseloff, west of Treuenbrietzen, Germany.]]
[[File:George Preddy P-51.png|thumb|Top-scoring Mustang ace of WWII, Major [[George Preddy|George Earl Preddy Jr]]., with 26.83 aerial victories and five aircraft destroyed on the ground (first three victories were achieved on [[Republic P-47 Thunderbolt|P-47]])]]
On 15 April 1944, VIII Fighter Command began "Operation Jackpot", attacks on Luftwaffe fighter airfields. As the efficacy of these missions increased, the number of fighters at the German airbases fell to the point where they were no longer considered worthwhile targets. On 21 May, targets were expanded to include railways, locomotives, and other [[rolling stock]] used by the Germans to transport [[materiel]] and troops, in missions dubbed "Chattanooga".<ref>Olmsted 1994, p. 144.</ref> The P-51 excelled at this mission, although losses were much higher on strafing missions than in air-to-air combat, partially because the Mustang's Merlin engine, being liquid cooled, was vulnerable to radiator and coolant line damage from small-arms gunfire.  On the other hand, the Mustang’s stablemate, the [[Republic P-47 Thunderbolt]], being powered by an [[Pratt & Whitney R-2800|air-cooled radial engine]], could usually shrug off small-arms fire, and thus was regularly tasked with ground-strafing missions.

[[File:P-51D Urban Drew.jpg|thumb|P-51D Mustang ''Detroit Miss'' of the 375th Fighter Squadron: [[Urban L. Drew]] flew this aircraft in late 1944 and shot down six German aircraft, including two jet-powered [[Messerschmitt Me 262|Me 262]]s in a single mission.]]
Given the overwhelming Allied [[air superiority]], the Luftwaffe put its effort into the development of aircraft of such high performance that they could operate with impunity, but which also made bomber attack much more difficult, merely from the flight velocities they achieved. Foremost among these were the [[Messerschmitt Me 163]]B point-defense rocket interceptors, which started their operations with [[JG 400]] near the end of July 1944, and the longer-endurance [[Messerschmitt Me 262]]A jet fighter, first flying with the [[Organization of the Luftwaffe (1933–45)#Gruppe|''Gruppe'']]-strength [[Kommando Nowotny]] unit by the end of September 1944. In action, the Me 163 proved to be [[Hypergolic propellant#History|more dangerous to the Luftwaffe]] than to the Allies and was never a serious threat. The Me 262A was a serious threat, but attacks on their airfields neutralized them. The pioneering [[Junkers Jumo 004]] [[Axial compressor|axial-flow]] [[Turbojet|jet engine]]s of the Me 262As needed careful nursing by their pilots, and these aircraft were particularly vulnerable during takeoff and landing.<ref>Forsyth 1996, pp. 149, 194.</ref> Lt. [[Chuck Yeager]] of the [[357th Fighter Group]] was one of the first American pilots to shoot down an Me 262, which he caught during its landing approach. On 7 October 1944, Lt. [[Urban L. Drew]] of the [[361st Fighter Group]] shot down two Me 262s that were taking off, while on the same day, Lt. Col. [[Hubert Zemke]], who had transferred to the Mustang-equipped [[479th Fighter Group]], shot down what he thought was a Bf 109, only to have his gun camera film reveal that it may have been an Me 262.<ref>Scutts 1994, p. 58.</ref> On 25 February 1945, Mustangs of the [[55th Fighter Group]] surprised an entire [[Organization of the Luftwaffe (1933–45)#Staffel|''Staffel'']] of Me 262As at takeoff and destroyed six jets.<ref>[[Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft]], p. 12.</ref>

The Mustang also proved useful against the [[V-1 (flying bomb)|V-1]]s launched toward London. P-51B/Cs, using 150-octane fuel, were fast enough to catch the V-1 and operated in concert with shorter-range aircraft such as advanced marks of the [[Supermarine Spitfire]] and [[Hawker Tempest]].{{citation needed|date=October 2021}}

By 8 May 1945,<ref name="Glancey p. 188">Glancey 2006, p. 188.</ref> the [[United States Air Forces in Europe#Lineage|8th]], [[USAFCENT#Ninth Air Force 1943 to June 1944|9th]], and [[15th Expeditionary Mobility Task Force|15th Air Force]]'s P-51 groups {{#tag:ref|All but three of these FGs flew P-38s, P-40s, or P-47s before converting to the Mustang.|group=nb}} claimed some 4,950 aircraft shot down (about half of all USAAF claims in the European theater, the most claimed by any Allied fighter in air-to-air combat)<ref name="Glancey p. 188" /> and 4,131 destroyed on the ground. Losses were about 2,520 aircraft.<ref>Dean 1997, p. 339.</ref> The 8th Air Force's [[4th Operations Group|4th Fighter Group]] was the top-scoring fighter group in Europe, with 1,016 enemy aircraft claimed destroyed. This included 550 claimed in aerial combat and 466 on the ground.{{citation needed|date=February 2023}}

In air combat, the top-scoring P-51 units (both of which exclusively flew Mustangs) were the 357th Fighter Group of the 8th Air Force with 565 air-to-air combat victories and the 9th Air Force's 354th Fighter Group with 664, which made it one of the top-scoring fighter groups. The top Mustang ace was the USAAF's [[George Preddy]], whose final tally stood at 26.83 victories (a number that includes shared one half- and one third victory credits), 23 of which were scored with the P-51. Preddy was shot down and killed by [[friendly fire]] on Christmas Day 1944 during the [[Battle of the Bulge]].<ref name="Glancey p. 188" />

====In China and the Pacific Theater====
[[File:P-51 Mustang taking off from Iwo Jima.jpg|thumb|alt=Black-and-white photograph of a man wearing military uniform facing a World War II-era single-engined fighter while gesturing to his left|A P-51&nbsp;Mustang taking off from [[Iwo Jima]]]]
In early 1945, P-51C, D, and K variants also joined the [[Republic of China Air Force|Chinese Nationalist Air Force]]. These Mustangs were provided to the 3rd, 4th, and 5th Fighter Groups and used to attack Japanese targets in occupied areas of China. The P-51 became the most capable fighter in China, while the [[Imperial Japanese Army Air Force]] used the [[Nakajima Ki-84]] ''Hayate'' against it.{{Citation needed|date=October 2021}}

The P-51 was a relative latecomer to the Pacific theater, due largely to the need for the aircraft in Europe, although the P-38's twin-engined design was considered a safety advantage for long, over-water flights. The first P-51s were deployed in the Far East later in 1944, operating in close-support and escort missions, as well as tactical photoreconnaissance. As the war in Europe wound down, the P-51 became more common. With the [[Battle of Iwo Jima|capture of Iwo Jima]], USAAF P-51&nbsp;Mustang fighters of the VII&nbsp;Fighter Command were stationed on that island starting in March 1945, being initially tasked with escorting [[Boeing B-29 Superfortress]] missions [[Air raids on Japan|against the Japanese homeland]].{{citation needed|date=October 2021}}

The command's last major raid of May was a daylight incendiary attack on Yokohama on 29 May conducted by 517 B-29s escorted by 101 P-51s. This force was intercepted by 150 [[Mitsubishi A6M Zero|A6M Zero]] fighters, sparking an intense air battle in which five B-29s were shot down and another 175 damaged. In return, the P-51 pilots claimed 26 "kills" and 23 "probables" for the loss of three fighters. The 454 B-29s that reached Yokohama struck the city's main business district and destroyed {{convert|6.9|sqmi|km2}} of buildings; over 1000 Japanese were killed.<ref>Craven and Cate (1953), pp. 639–640</ref><ref name="Hoyt_1987_397">Hoyt (1987), p. 398</ref> Overall, the attacks in May destroyed {{convert|94|sqmi|km2}} of buildings, which was equivalent to one-seventh of Japan's total urban area. The [[Home Ministry (Japan)|minister of home affairs]], [[Iwao Yamazaki]], concluded after these raids that Japan's civil defense arrangements were "considered to be futile".<ref>Tillman (2010), pp. 172–173</ref> On the first day of June, 521 B-29s escorted by 148 P-51s were dispatched in a daylight raid against Osaka. While en route to the city, the Mustangs flew through thick clouds, and 27 of the fighters were destroyed in collisions. Nevertheless, 458 heavy bombers and 27 P-51s reached the city, and the bombardment killed 3,960 Japanese and destroyed {{convert|3.15|sqmi|km2}} of buildings. On 5 June 473 B-29s struck Kobe by day and destroyed {{convert|4.35|sqmi|km2}} of buildings for the loss of 11 bombers. A force of 409 B-29s attacked Osaka again on 7 June; during this attack, {{convert|2.21|sqmi|km2}} of buildings were burnt out and the Americans did not suffer any losses. Osaka was bombed for the fourth time that month, on 15 June, when 444 B-29s destroyed {{convert|1.9|sqmi|km2}} of the city and another {{convert|0.59|sqmi|km2}} of nearby [[Amagasaki]]; 300,000 houses were destroyed in Osaka.<ref>Craven and Cate (1953), pp. 640–642</ref><ref name="Hastings_336">Hastings (2007), p. 336</ref> This attack marked the end of the first phase of XXI&nbsp;Bomber Command's attack on Japan's cities. During May and June, the bombers had destroyed much of the country's six largest cities, killing between 112,000 and 126,762 people and rendering millions homeless. The widespread destruction and high number of casualties from these raids caused many Japanese to realize that their country's military was no longer able to defend the home islands. American losses were low compared to Japanese casualties; 136 B-29s were downed during the campaign.<ref>Craven and Cate (1953), pp. 642–644</ref><ref>Kerr (1991), pp. 261–262</ref><ref>Frank (1999), pp. 76–77</ref> In Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Yokohama, Kobe, and Kawasaki, "over 126,762 people were killed&nbsp;... and a million and a half dwellings and over {{convert|105|sqmi|km2}} of urban space were destroyed."<ref name="Miller 2001, p. 460">Miller (2001), p. 460</ref> In Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya, "the areas leveled (almost {{convert|100|sqmi|km2}}) exceeded the areas [[Combined Bomber Offensive|destroyed]] in all [[Nazi Germany|German]] cities by both the [[United States Army Air Forces|American]] and [[RAF Bomber Command|British air forces]] (about {{convert|79|sqmi|km2}})."<ref name="Miller 2001, p. 460"/>

P-51s also conducted a series of independent ground-attack missions against targets in the home islands.<ref name="Russ_22">Russ (2001), p. 22</ref> The first of these operations took place on 16 April, when 57 P-51s strafed [[Kanoya Air Field]] in Kyushu.<ref>Craven and Cate (1953), p. 634</ref> In operations conducted between 26 April and 22 June, the American fighter pilots claimed the destruction of 64 Japanese aircraft and damage to another 180 on the ground, as well as a further 10 shot down in flight; these claims were lower than the American planners had expected, however, and the raids were considered unsuccessful. USAAF losses were 11 P-51s to enemy action and seven to other causes.<ref>Craven and Cate (1953), pp. 634–635</ref>

Due to the lack of Japanese air opposition to the American bomber raids, VII&nbsp;Fighter Command was solely tasked with ground-attack missions from July. These raids were frequently made against airfields to destroy aircraft being held in reserve to attack the expected Allied invasion fleet. While the P-51 pilots only occasionally encountered Japanese fighters in the air, the airfields were protected by antiaircraft batteries and [[barrage balloon]]s.<ref name="Russ_24">Russ (2001), p. 24</ref> By the end of the war, VII&nbsp;Fighter Command had conducted 51 ground-attack raids, of which 41 were considered successful. The fighter pilots claimed to have destroyed or damaged 1,062 aircraft and 254 ships, along with large numbers of buildings and railway rolling stock. American losses were 91 pilots killed and 157 Mustangs destroyed.<ref name="Russ_25">Russ (2001), p. 25</ref>

====Medal of Honor recipients====
[[File:James_Howard_April_1944.jpg|thumb|Medal of Honor recipient Lt. Col. James H. Howard, in the cockpit of his P-51 Mustang]]
Two P-51 pilots received the [[Medal of Honor]] during World War II:
*USAAF Lt Col. [[James H. Howard]] of the [[356th Fighter Squadron]], [[354th Fighter Group]] was awarded the Medal of Honor for his action during a bomber escort mission near [[Oschersleben]], Germany on 11 January 1944, flying P-51B, serial number {{USAF serial|43|6315}} nicknamed "Ding Hao".<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EkUc5FEoaIsC&pg=PA171 |page=171 |last=Hatch |first=Gardner N. |date=1993 |title=P-51 Mustang |publisher=Turner |isbn=9781563110801}}</ref> Despite being outnumbered, Howard shot down three German planes and continued to defend the bombers even when his guns went out of action and fuel supply became dangerously low.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.afhistory.af.mil/FAQs/Fact-Sheets/Article/639627/howard-lt-col-james-h-howard/ |title=Lt Col. James H. Howard |newspaper=Air Force Historical Support Division |access-date=2 October 2022}}</ref>
*USAAF Maj. [[William A. Shomo]] of the [[82nd Reconnaissance Squadron]], [[71st Reconnaissance Group]] was awarded the Medal of Honor for his action during a mission over [[Luzon, Philippines]] on 11 January 1945, flying an F-6D, the armed photo reconnaissance variant of the P-51, serial number {{USAF serial|44|14841}} nicknamed "Snooks the 5th". On that mission, Shomo shot down seven Japanese planes and became an "[[List of aviators who became ace in a day|ace in a day]]".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.afhistory.af.mil/FAQs/Fact-Sheets/Article/639652/shomo-maj-william-a-shomo/ |title=Maj. William A. Shomo |newspaper=Air Force Historical Support Division |access-date=2 October 2022}}</ref>

===Pilot observations===
Chief Naval Test Pilot and C.O. Captured Enemy Aircraft Flight Capt. [[Eric Brown (pilot)|Eric Brown]], [[Royal Navy|RN]], tested the Mustang at [[RAE Farnborough]] in March 1944 and noted:
{{blockquote|The Mustang was a good fighter and the best escort due to its incredible range, make no mistake about it. It was also the best American dogfighter. But the laminar-flow wing fitted to the Mustang could be a little tricky. It could not by any means out-turn a Spitfire. No way. It had a good rate-of-roll, better than the Spitfire, so I would say the plusses to the Spitfire and the Mustang just about equate. If I were in a dogfight, I'd prefer to be flying the Spitfire. The problem was I wouldn't like to be in a dogfight near Berlin, because I could never get home to Britain in a Spitfire!<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7PeDPQAACAAJ |isbn=978-1-903223-98-7 |page=233 |title=Air Combat Manoeuvres: The Technique and History of Air Fighting for Flight Simulation |last1=Thompson |first1=Steve |last2=Smith |first2=Peter C. |last3=Allan |first3=Ian |last4=Spinetta |first4=Lawrence J. |year=2008 |publisher=Classic Publications}}</ref>}}

The US Air Forces, Flight Test Engineering, assessed the Mustang B on 24 April 1944 thus:
{{blockquote|The rate of climb is good and the high speed in level flight is exceptionally good at all altitudes, from sea level to 40,000 feet. The airplane is very maneuverable with good controllability at indicated speeds up to 400 MPH [sic]. The stability about all axes is good and the rate of roll is excellent; however, the radius of turn is fairly large for a fighter. The cockpit layout is excellent, but visibility is poor on the ground and only fair in level flight.<ref name="test">[http://www.wwiiaircraftperformance.org/mustang/mustangtest.html Flight Tests on the North American P-51B-5-NA Airplane] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080109090445/http://www.wwiiaircraftperformance.org/mustang/mustangtest.html |date=9 January 2008 }}, Army Air Forces Material Command, Flight Test Engineering Branch, Wright Field, Dayton, Ohio, 24 April 1944</ref>}}

[[Kurt Bühligen]], the third-highest scoring German fighter pilot of World War II's Western Front (with 112 confirmed victories, three against Mustangs), later stated:
{{blockquote|We would out-turn the P-51 and the other American fighters, with the Bf 109 or the Fw 190. Their turn rate was about the same. The P-51 was faster than us, but our munitions and [[MG 151 cannon|cannon]] were better.<ref name= "Sims pp. 134–135.">Sims 1980, pp. 134–135.</ref>}}

German fighter ace [[Heinrich Bär|Heinz Bär]] said that the P-51:
{{blockquote|was perhaps the most difficult of all Allied aircraft to meet in combat. It was fast, maneuverable, hard to see, and difficult to identify because it resembled the Me 109.<ref name="rymaszewski199407">{{Cite magazine |last=Rymaszewski |first=Michael |date=July 1994 |title=Playing Your Aces |url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1994&pub=2&id=120 |magazine=Computer Gaming World |pages=101–105 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171116132532/http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1994&pub=2&id=120 |archive-date=16 November 2017 |df=dmy-all}}</ref>}}

===After World War II===
{{More citations needed section|date=October 2021}}

[[File:USS Boxer (CV-21) loading F-51 Mustangs at NAS Alameda in July 1950 (80-G-418776).jpg|thumb|left|{{USS|Boxer|CV-21|6}} loads 146 [[United States Air Force|USAF]] F-51Ds at [[Naval Air Station Alameda|Alameda]] for the Korean theater, in July 1950.]]

In the aftermath of World War II, the USAAF consolidated much of its wartime combat force and selected the P-51 as a "standard" piston-engined fighter, while other types, such as the P-38 and P-47, were withdrawn or given substantially reduced roles. As the more advanced ([[Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star|P-80]] and [[Republic F-84 Thunderjet|P-84]]) jet fighters were introduced, the P-51 was also relegated to secondary duties.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Barrett |first=M. B. |title=Today in History – April 3, 1965 – 1LT George Craig Smith takes heavy fire over SVN |url=https://supersabresociety.com/this_time_in_history/today-in-history-april-3-1941-robert-cheed-chilton-flies-first-prototype-of-the-p-51/ |access-date=11 June 2024 |website=Super Sabre Society |language=en}}</ref>

In 1947, the newly formed [[USAF]] [[Strategic Air Command]] employed Mustangs alongside F-6 Mustangs and [[North American F-82 Twin Mustang|F-82 Twin Mustang]]s, due to their range capabilities. In 1948, the designation P-51 (P for pursuit) was changed to ''F-51'' (''F'' for fighter) and the existing ''F'' designator for photographic reconnaissance aircraft was dropped because of a new designation scheme throughout the USAF. Aircraft still in service in the USAF or [[Air National Guard]] (ANG) when the system was changed included: ''F-51B'', ''F-51D'', ''F-51K'', ''RF-51D'' (formerly ''F-6D''), ''RF-51K'' (formerly ''F-6K'') and ''TRF-51D'' (two-seat trainer conversions of F-6Ds). They remained in service from 1946 through 1951. By 1950, although Mustangs continued in service with the USAF after the war, the majority of the USAF's Mustangs had become surplus to requirements and placed in storage, while some were transferred to the [[Air Force Reserve]] and the ANG.<ref name="NMUSAF" />

[[File:F-51 in Puddle, Korean War.jpg|thumb|An F-51 Mustang, laden with bombs and rockets, taxis through a puddle at an airbase in Korea.]]

From the start of the [[Korean War]], the Mustang once again proved useful. A "substantial number" of stored or in-service F-51Ds were shipped, via aircraft carriers, to the combat zone, and were used by the USAF, the South African Air Force, and the [[Republic of Korea Air Force]] (ROKAF). The F-51 was used for ground attack, fitted with rockets and bombs, and photo reconnaissance, rather than being as interceptors or "pure" fighters, where it was already surpassed by early jets. After the first North Korean invasion, USAF units were forced to fly from bases in Japan and the F-51Ds, with their long range and endurance, could attack targets in Korea that short-ranged F-80 jets could not. Because of the vulnerable liquid cooling system, however, the F-51s sustained heavy losses to ground fire.<ref>{{Cite report |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep13778.8 |title=Initial Period of Operations in the Korean War, 25 June–24 July 1950 |last=Purdham |first=Aldon E. |date=2003 |publisher=Air University Press |pages=5–25}}</ref> Due to its lighter structure and a shortage of spare parts, the newer, faster F-51H was not used in Korea.{{Citation needed|date=October 2021}} On 5 August 1950, Major [[Louis J. Sebille]] of the [[67th Fighter-Bomber Squadron]] attacked a North Korean armored column advancing on [[United Nations Command|United Nations military units]] during the [[Battle of Pusan Perimeter]]. Though his aircraft was heavily damaged and he was wounded during the first pass on the column, he turned his F-51 around and deliberately crashed into the convoy at the cost of his life, and was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.afhistory.af.mil/FAQs/Fact-Sheets/Article/639634/sebille-maj-louis-j-sebille/ |title=Maj. Louis J. Sebille |newspaper=Air Force Historical Support Division |access-date=3 October 2022}}</ref>

Mustangs continued flying with USAF and ROKAF fighter-bomber units on close support and interdiction missions in Korea until 1953 when they were largely replaced as fighter-bombers by USAF F-84s and by [[United States Navy]] (USN) [[Grumman F9F Panther]]s. Other air forces and units using the Mustang included the [[Royal Australian Air Force]]'s [[No. 77 Squadron RAAF|77 Squadron]], which flew Australian-built Mustangs as part of [[British Commonwealth Forces Korea]]. The Mustangs were replaced by [[Gloster Meteor]] F8s in 1951. The [[South African Air Force]]'s [[No. 2 Squadron SAAF|2 Squadron]] used US-built Mustangs as part of the [[18th Wing|US 18th Fighter Bomber Wing]] and had suffered heavy losses by 1953, after which 2 Squadron converted to the F-86 Sabre.{{Citation needed|date=October 2021}}

F-51s flew in the [[Air Force Reserve]] and ANG throughout the 1950s. The last American USAF Mustang was F-51D-30-NA AF serial no. {{USAF serial|44|74936}}, which was finally withdrawn from service with the [[West Virginia Air National Guard]]'s [[167th Airlift Squadron|167th Fighter Interceptor Squadron]] in January 1957 and retired to what was then called the Air Force Central Museum,<ref>United Press, "Last of Prop Fighters Will Go to Museum", ''The San Bernardino Daily Sun'', San Bernardino, California, Saturday 26 January 1957, Volume LXIII, Number 127, page 22.</ref> although it was briefly reactivated to fly at the 50th anniversary of the Air Force Aerial Firepower Demonstration at the Air Proving Ground, [[Eglin AFB]], Florida, on 6 May 1957.<ref>"'Mustang' Taken Out of Mothballs For Demonstration". ''The Okaloosa News-Journal'', Crestview, Florida, Volume 43, Number 14, page 3E.</ref> This aircraft, painted as P-51D-15-NA serial no. {{USAF serial|44|15174}}, is on display at the [[National Museum of the United States Air Force]], [[Wright-Patterson AFB]], in [[Dayton, Ohio]].<ref name= "Gunston P-51">Gunston, Bill. ''North American P-51 Mustang.'' New York: Gallery Books, 1990. {{ISBN|0-8317-1402-6}}.{{page needed|date=October 2021}}</ref>{{page needed|date=October 2021}}
[[File:P-51 WV ANG.jpeg|thumb|West Virginia Air National Guard F-51D with postwar "uncuffed" propeller unit]]
The final withdrawal of the Mustang from USAF dumped hundreds of P-51s onto the civilian market. The rights to the Mustang design were purchased from North American by the [[Cavalier Aircraft]] Corporation, which attempted to market the surplus Mustang aircraft in the US and overseas. In 1967 and again in 1972, the USAF procured batches of remanufactured Mustangs from Cavalier, most of them destined for air forces in South America and Asia that were participating in the [[Mutual Defense Assistance Act|Military Assistance Program]] (MAP). These aircraft were remanufactured from existing original F-51D airframes fitted with new V-1650-7 engines, a new radio, tall F-51H-type vertical tails, and a stronger wing that could carry six {{convert|0.50|in|mm|1|adj=on|abbr=on|order=flip}} machine guns and a total of eight underwing hardpoints. Two {{convert|1000|lb|kg|adj=on}} bombs and six {{convert|5|in|mm|0|abbr=on|order=flip}} rockets could be carried. They all had an original F-51D-type canopy but carried a second seat for an observer behind the pilot. One additional Mustang was a two-seat, dual-control TF-51D (67-14866) with an enlarged canopy and only four wing guns. Although these remanufactured Mustangs were intended for sale to South American and Asian nations through the MAP, they were delivered to the USAF with full USAF markings. They were, however, allocated new serial numbers ({{USAF serial|67|14862/14866}}, {{USAF serial|67|22579/22582}} and {{USAF serial|72|1526/1541}}).<ref name= "Gunston P-51" />{{page needed|date=October 2021}}

The last US military use of the F-51 was in 1968 when the US Army employed a vintage F-51D (44-72990) as a chase aircraft for the [[AH-56 Cheyenne|Lockheed YAH-56 Cheyenne]] armed helicopter project. This aircraft was so successful that the Army ordered two F-51Ds from Cavalier in 1968 for use at [[Fort Rucker]] as chase planes. They were assigned the serials {{USAF serial|68|15795}} and {{USAF serial|68|15796}}. These F-51s had wingtip fuel tanks and were unarmed. Following the end of the Cheyenne program, these two chase aircraft were used for other projects. One of them (68-15795) was fitted with a 106&nbsp;mm recoilless rifle for evaluation of the weapon's value in attacking fortified ground targets.<ref>Wixey 2001, p. 55.</ref> Cavalier Mustang 68-15796 survives at the [[Air Force Armament Museum]], [[Eglin AFB]], Florida, displayed indoors in World War II markings.

The F-51 was adopted by many foreign air forces and continued to be an effective fighter into the mid-1980s with smaller air arms. The last Mustang ever downed in battle occurred during [[Operation Power Pack]] in the [[Dominican Republic]] in 1965, with the last aircraft finally being retired by the [[Dominican Air Force]] in 1984.<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20060829114424/http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_153.shtml "Dominican Republic."]}} ''acig.org.'' Retrieved: 17 January 2012.</ref>

===Service with other air forces===
After World War II, the P-51 Mustang served in the air arms of more than 25 nations.<ref name="Gunston p. 58" /> During the war, a Mustang cost about $51,000,<ref name="knaack">Knaack 1978</ref> while many hundreds were sold postwar for the nominal price of one dollar to signatories of the [[Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance]], ratified in [[Rio de Janeiro]] in 1947.<ref name="Munson p. 97">Munson 1969, p. 97.</ref>

These countries used the P-51 Mustang:

;Australia
[[File:82 Sqn RAAF (P02032-023).jpg|thumb|P-51Ds of 82 Squadron RAAF in Bofu, Japan, as part of the [[British Commonwealth Occupation Force]], in 1947]]
:In November 1944, [[No. 3 Squadron RAAF|3 Squadron RAAF]] became the first Royal Australian Air Force unit to use Mustangs. At the time of its conversion from the P-40 to the Mustang, the squadron was based in Italy with the RAF's [[Desert Air Force]].
:3 Squadron was renumbered [[No. 4 Squadron RAAF|4 Squadron]] after returning to Australia from Italy, and converted to P-51Ds. Several other Australian or Pacific-based squadrons converted to either [[CAC Mustang|CAC-built Mustangs]] or to imported P-51Ks from July 1945, having been equipped with P-40s or Boomerangs for wartime service; these units were: [[No. 76 Squadron RAAF|76]], [[No. 77 Squadron RAAF|77]], [[No. 82 Squadron RAAF|82]], [[No. 83 Squadron RAAF|83]], [[No. 84 Squadron RAAF|84]] and [[No. 86 Squadron RAAF|86]] squadrons. Only 17 Mustangs reached the RAAF's [[Australian First Tactical Air Force|First Tactical Air Force]] front-line squadrons by the time World War II ended in August 1945.

:76, 77 and 82 squadrons were formed into [[No. 81 Wing RAAF|81 Fighter Wing]] of the [[British Commonwealth Occupation Force|British Commonwealth Air Force]], which was part of the [[British Commonwealth Occupation Force]] stationed in Japan from February 1946. 77 Squadron used its P-51s extensively during the first months of the Korean War, before converting to [[Gloster Meteor]] jets.<ref>Anderson 1975, pp. 16–43.</ref>

:Five reserve units from the Citizen Air Force also operated Mustangs. [[No. 21 Squadron RAAF|21 "City of Melbourne" Squadron]], based in the state of [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]]; [[No. 22 Squadron RAAF|22 "City of Sydney" Squadron]], based in [[New South Wales]]; [[No. 23 Squadron RAAF|23 "City of Brisbane" Squadron]], based in Queensland; [[No. 24 Squadron RAAF|24 "City of Adelaide" Squadron]], based in South Australia; and [[No. 25 Squadron RAAF|25 "City of Perth" Squadron]], based in Western Australia; all of these units were equipped with CAC Mustangs, rather than P-51D or Ks. The last Mustangs were retired from these units in 1960 when CAF units adopted a nonflying role.<ref>Anderson 1975, pp. 50–65.</ref>

;Bolivia
[[File:Cavalier Mustang.jpg|thumb|A Cavalier Mustang, formerly of the Bolivian Air Force, parked on a Canadian airfield]]
: Nine [[Cavalier Mustang|Cavalier F-51D]] (including the two TF-51s) were given to Bolivia, under a program called Peace Condor.<ref name="Gunston p. 39" />

;Canada 
[[File:MUSTANG RCAF 9221.jpg|thumb| [[Lynn Garrison]] with RCAF 9281, 1956, {{not a typo|subsequently flown}} during the 1969 [[Football War]], returned to the US by Jerry Janes and flown as ''Cottonmouth'']]
:Canada had five squadrons equipped with Mustangs during World War II. RCAF [[No. 400 Squadron RCAF|400]], 414, and 430 squadrons flew Mustang Mk Is (1942–1944) and 441 and 442 squadrons flew Mustang Mk IIIs and IVAs in 1945. Postwar, a total of 150 Mustang P-51Ds were purchased and served in two regular ([[No. 416 Squadron RCAF|416 "Lynx"]] and 417 "City of Windsor") and six auxiliary fighter squadrons (402 "City of Winnipeg", 403 "City of Calgary", 420 "City of London", 424 "City of Hamilton", 442 "City of Vancouver" and 443 "City of New Westminster"). The Mustangs were declared obsolete in 1956, but special-duty versions served on into the early 1960s.

;Republic of China 
[[File:P-51 of the Republic of China Air Force, 1953.jpg|thumb|P-51 of the Republic of China Air Force, 1953]]
: The [[Chinese Nationalist Air Force]] obtained the P-51 during the late [[Second Sino-Japanese War|Sino-Japanese War]] to fight against the Japanese. After the war, [[Chiang Kai-shek]]'s [[Republic of China|Nationalist]] government used the planes against insurgent Communist forces. The Nationalists retreated to [[Taiwan]] in 1949. Pilots supporting Chiang brought most of the Mustangs with them, where the aircraft became part of the island's defense arsenal.

;People's Republic of China
[[File:P-51D in Chinese Military Museum 20170919.jpg|thumb|P-51D Mustang in Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution]]
: The Communist Chinese captured 39 P-51s from the Nationalists while they were retreating to Taiwan.<ref name="Gunston p. 39">Gunston 1990 p. 39.</ref> In August 1949, the [[People's Liberation Army Air Force]] formed its first P-51 squadron at [[Beijing Nanyuan Airport]] and were tasked of the defending Beijing's airspace from Nationalist Air Force aircraft. On 1 October 1949, when [[Mao Zedong]] proclaimed the [[Proclamation of the People's Republic of China|founding of the People's Republic of China]], nine P-51s conducted a fly-past during the military parade in Beijing. By 1950, when [[Soviet Union]] began supplying modern military equipment to China, surviving P-51s were relegated to PLAAF's aviation school and 13 P-51s were modified as two-seat trainers. By September 1953, most P-51s were retired from service and only eight P-51s remained in service to teach [[Ilyushin Il-10]] pilots on how to taxi aircraft.<ref name="Oliver 2023">Oliver 2023.</ref>

;Costa Rica
:The [[Costa Rican Air Force]] flew four P-51Ds from 1955 to 1964.<ref name="Gunston p. 39" /> 

;Cuba
: In November 1958, three US-registered civilian P-51D Mustangs were illegally flown separately from Miami to Cuba, on delivery to the rebel forces of the [[26th of July Movement]], then headed by [[Fidel Castro]] during the [[Cuban Revolution]]. One of the Mustangs was damaged during delivery and none of them were used operationally. After the success of the revolution in January 1959, with other rebel aircraft plus those of the existing Cuban government forces, they were adopted into the [[Cuban Air Force|Fuerza Aérea Revolucionaria]]. Due to increasing US restrictions and lack of spares and maintenance experience, they never achieved operational status. At the time of the [[Bay of Pigs invasion]], the two intact Mustangs were already effectively grounded at Campo Columbia and at Santiago. After the failed invasion, they were placed on display with other symbols of "revolutionary struggle" and one remains on display at the [[Museo del Aire (Cuba)|Museo del Aire]].<ref>Hagedorn 1993, p. 147.</ref><ref>Hagedorn 2006{{page needed|date=September 2011}}</ref>{{page needed|date=September 2011}}<ref>Dienst 1985</ref>

;Dominican Republic 
: The [[Dominican Republic]] was the largest Latin American air force to employ the P-51D, with six aircraft acquired in 1948, 44 ex-Swedish F-51Ds purchased in 1948, and a further Mustang obtained from an unknown source.<ref name="wingsof fame1 p107">Gunston and Dorr 1995, p. 107.</ref> It was the last nation to have any Mustangs in service, with some remaining in use as late as 1984.<ref> Taylor, M. J. ''Fighter Aircraft'' 4  p.32 with monochrome photo ISBN 0603031196</ref> Nine of the final 10 aircraft were sold back to American collectors in 1988.<ref name="Gunston p. 39" />

;El Salvador 
: The [[Salvadoran Air Force]] (''Fuerza Aérea Salvadoreña'' or FAS) purchased five Cavalier Mustang IIs (and one dual-control Cavalier TF-51) that featured wingtip fuel tanks to increase combat range and up-rated Merlin engines. Seven P-51D Mustangs were also in service.<ref name="Gunston p. 39" /> They were used during the 1969 Football War against Honduras, the last time the P-51 was used in combat. One of them, FAS-404, was shot down by a [[Vought F4U Corsair|Vought F4U-5 Corsair]] flown by Captain Fernando Soto in the last aerial combat between piston-engined fighters in the world.<ref name="wingsof fame1 109-0">Gunston and Dorr 1995, pp. 109–110.</ref>

;France
: In late 1944, the first French unit began its transition to reconnaissance Mustangs. In January 1945, the Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron 2/33 of the French Air Force took their F-6Cs and F-6Ds over Germany on photographic mapping missions. The Mustangs remained in service until the early 1950s, when they were replaced by jet fighters.<ref name="Gunston p. 39" />

;Germany
: Several P-51s were captured by the Luftwaffe as ''Beuteflugzeug'' ("captured aircraft") following crash landings. These aircraft were subsequently repaired and test-flown by the ''[[Zirkus Rosarius]]'', or ''Rosarius Staffel'', the official ''[[Erprobungskommando]]'' of the [[Oberkommando der Luftwaffe|Luftwaffe High Command]], for combat evaluation at [[Göttingen]]. The aircraft were repainted with German markings and bright yellow noses, tails, and bellies for identification. P-51B/P-51Cs – including examples marked with Luftwaffe ''Geschwaderkennung'' codes T9+CK, T9+FK, T9+HK, and T9+PK (with the "T9" prefix not known to be officially assigned to any existing Luftwaffe formation from their own records, outside of the photos of ''Zirkus Rosarius''–flown aircraft)—with a total of three captured P-51Ds were also flown by the unit.<ref>Smith et al. 2004, pp. 78–79, 80, 82.</ref> Some of these P-51s were found by Allied forces at the end of the war; others crashed during testing.<ref>Smith et al. 2004, pp. 108–114.</ref> The Mustang is also listed in the appendix to the novel ''KG 200'' as having been flown by the German secret operations unit [[Kampfgeschwader 200|KG 200]], which tested, evaluated, and sometimes clandestinely operated captured enemy aircraft during World War II.<ref>Gilman and Clive 1978, p. 314.</ref>

;Guatemala
[[File:336 NA P-51 Mustang Guatemalan Air Force (7468458898).jpg|thumb|Guatemalan Air Force P-51Ds at Guatemala La Aurora International]]
: The [[Guatemalan Air Force]] had 30 P-51D Mustangs in service from 1954 to the early 1970s.<ref name="Gunston p. 39" />

;Haiti 
: Haiti had four P-51D Mustangs when President Paul Eugène Magloire was in power from 1950 to 1956, with the last retired in 1973–1974 and sold for spares to the Dominican Republic.<ref name="wingsof fame1 p108">Gunston and Dorr 1995, p. 108.</ref>

;Indonesia
[[File:Mustangsatriamandala.jpg|thumb|Indonesian Air Force P-51]]
: Indonesia acquired 26 P-51D/Ks from the departing Netherlands East Indies Air Force in 1949–1950 and later received 35 P-51Ds from the United States in 1960–1961.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://armstrade.sipri.org/armstrade/page/trade_register.php |title=Arms Trade Registers |website=Stockholm International Peace Research Institute |access-date=5 October 2022}}</ref> The Mustangs were used against numerous rebellions during the 1950s, such as the [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]]-backed [[Permesta]] rebels in 1958–1961. During this period, the Mustang scored the first and (as of 2022) the only aerial victory of the Indonesian Air Force, when on 18 May 1958, a P-51D Mustang piloted by Capt. Ignatius Dewanto shot down a Permesta's Revolutionary Air Force [[Douglas A-26 Invader|B-26 Invader]] piloted by [[Allen Lawrence Pope]] near [[Ambon Island|Ambon]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Conboy |first1=Kenneth |last2=Morrison |first2=James |year=1999 |title=Feet to the Fire CIA Covert Operations in Indonesia, 1957–1958 |location=Annapolis |publisher=[[United States Naval Institute|Naval Institute Press]] |isbn=1-55750-193-9 |pages=132–141}}</ref> They were also used against Commonwealth (RAF, RAAF, and RNZAF) forces during the [[Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation]] in the early 1960s. Indonesia received a shipment of five or seven [[Cavalier Mustang|Cavalier II Mustang]]s and one TF-51D (without tip tanks) delivered in 1972–1973 as part of "Peace Pony" program under the [[Mutual Defense Assistance Act]]. The last time Mustangs were deployed for military purposes was during the "Wibawa V" exercise at [[Mount Lawu]], [[Magetan]] in February 1975. The Indonesian Mustangs were also used for filming ''[[Janur Kuning]]'', which was released in 1980. The Mustangs were replaced in 1976.<ref>[http://www.mustangsmustangs.net/p-51/p51variants/Cavalier.shtml Cavalier Mustangs] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927175855/http://www.mustangsmustangs.net/p-51/p51variants/Cavalier.shtml |date=27 September 2007 }} ''Mustangs-Mustangs''. Retrieved: 12 April 2007.</ref><ref>[http://www.scramble.nl/id.htm "Indonesian Air Arms Overview"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110916041603/http://www.scramble.nl/id.htm |date=16 September 2011 }} ''Scramble: Dutch Aviation Society''. Retrieved: 12 April 2007.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.merdeka.com/peristiwa/kisah-pilot-tni-au-tembak-jatuh-pesawat-pengebom-cia.html |title=Kisah pilot TNI AU tembak jatuh pesawat pengebom CIA |website=merdeka.com |date=11 September 2014 |language=id |access-date=10 August 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.radarmiliter.com/2019/07/story-sepenggal-kisah-generasi-terakhir.html |title=Story: Sepenggal Kisah Generasi Terakhir Penerbang P-51 Mustang TNI AU |website=radarmiliter.com |date=15 July 2019 |language=id |access-date=5 October 2022 |archive-date=5 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221005030924/https://www.radarmiliter.com/2019/07/story-sepenggal-kisah-generasi-terakhir.html |url-status=dead}}</ref>

;Israel
[[File:Hatzerim Mustang 29012010 01.jpg|thumb|A P-51D at the [[Israeli Air Force Museum]]: The marking beneath the cockpit notes its participation in the wire-cutting operation at the onset of the Suez Crisis.]]
: A few P-51 Mustangs were illegally bought by Israel in 1948, crated, and smuggled into the country as agricultural equipment for use in the [[1947–1949 Palestine war]], serving alongside upwards of 23 [[Avia S-199]] fighters (Czech-built Messerschmitt Bf 109Gs) in Israeli service, with the Mustangs quickly establishing themselves as the best fighter in the Israeli inventory.<ref>Darling 2002, p. 66.</ref> Further aircraft were bought from Sweden and were replaced by jets at the end of the 1950s, but not before the type was used in the [[Suez Crisis]], at the opening of [[Operation Kadesh]]. In conjunction with a surprise parachute drop at the [[Mitla Pass]], four P-51s were specially detailed to cut telephone and telegraph wires using their wings in extreme low level runs, which resulted in major interruptions to Egyptian communications.<ref>Herzog (1982) p. 118</ref><ref>Norton, Bill (2004) – ''Air War on the Edge – A History of the Israeli Air Force and its Aircraft since 1947''</ref><ref>Yenne 1989, p. 62.</ref>

;Italy 
[[File:P-51D Mustang&SM.82 Marsupiale.jpg|thumb|Italian P-51D Mustang]]
: Italy was a postwar operator of P-51Ds; deliveries were slowed by the Korean War, but between September 1947 and January 1951, by MDAP count, 173 examples were delivered. They were used in all the AMI fighter units: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 51 ''Stormo'' (wing), plus some employed in schools and experimental units. Considered a "glamorous" fighter, P-51s were even used as personal aircraft by several Italian commanders. Some restrictions were placed on its use due to unfavorable flying characteristics. Handling had to be done with much care when fuel tanks were fully used, and several aerobatic maneuvers were forbidden. Overall, the P-51D was highly rated even compared to the other primary postwar fighter in Italian service, the Supermarine Spitfire, partly because these P-51Ds were in very good condition in contrast to all other Allied fighters supplied to Italy. Phasing out of the Mustang began in mid-1958.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aeronautica.difesa.it/storia/museostorico/Pagine/NorthAmericanP51.aspx |title=North American P-51 |publisher=Aeronautica Militare |access-date=30 May 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aeroflight.co.uk/waf/italy/af/ital-af2-all-time.htm |title=Italian Air Force |publisher=aeroflight |access-date=30 May 2019}}</ref><ref>Sgarlato 2003{{page needed|date=September 2011}}</ref>{{page needed|date=September 2011}}

;Japan 
: The P-51C-11-NT ''Evalina'', marked as "278" (former USAAF serial: {{USAF serial|44|10816}}) and flown by 26th FS, 51st FG, was hit by gunfire on 16 January 1945 and belly-landed on Suchon Airfield in China, which was held by the Japanese. The Japanese repaired the aircraft, roughly applied [[Hinomaru]] [[roundel]]s and flew the aircraft to the Fussa evaluation center (now [[Yokota Air Base]]) in Japan.<ref name="Gunston p. 39" />

;Netherlands
[[File:North American P-51 Mustang (7177600325).jpg|thumb|Netherlands North American P-51 Mustang]]
: The [[Royal Netherlands East Indies Army Air Force]] received 40 P-51Ds and flew them in the course of the [[Indonesian National Revolution]], particularly during the two [[Police actions (Indonesia)|Dutch police actions]]: [[Operation Product]] in 1947 and [[Operation Kraai]] in 1948–1949.<ref name="Kahin90">Kahin 2003, p. 90.</ref> When the conflict was over, Indonesia received 26 of these Mustangs.<ref name="Gunston p. 39" />

;New Zealand
{{main|North American P-51 Mustang in New Zealand service}} 
[[File:P51 Mustang Wairarapa.jpg|thumb|P-51D in 3 (Canterbury) Squadron TAF livery, performing at 2007 Wings over [[Wairarapa]] airshow]]
:New Zealand ordered 370 P-51 Mustangs to supplement its F4U Corsairs in the [[Pacific Ocean Areas]] theater. Scheduled deliveries were for an initial batch of 30 P-51Ds, followed by 137 more P-51Ds and 203 P-51Ms.<ref name="Wilson 2010, p. 42.">Wilson 2010, p. 42.</ref> The original 30 were being shipped as the war ended in August 1945; these were stored in their packing cases, and the order for the additional Mustangs was canceled. In 1951, the stored Mustangs entered service in [[No. 1 Squadron RNZAF|1 (Auckland)]], [[No. 2 Squadron RNZAF|2 (Wellington)]], [[No. 3 Squadron RNZAF|3 (Canterbury)]], and [[No. 4 Squadron RNZAF|4 (Otago)]] squadrons of the [[New Zealand Territorial Air Force|Territorial Air Force]] (TAF). The Mustangs remained in service until they were prematurely retired in August 1955 following a series of problems with undercarriage and coolant-system corrosion problems. Four Mustangs served on as target tugs until the TAF was disbanded in 1957.<ref name="Wilson 2010, p. 42." /> RNZAF pilots in the Royal Air Force also flew the P-51 and at least one New Zealand pilot scored victories over Europe while on loan to a USAAF P-51 squadron.

;Nicaragua 
: The [[Nicaraguan National Guard]] purchased 26 P-51D Mustangs from Sweden in 1954 and later received 30 P-51D Mustangs from the US together with two TF-51 models from MAP after 1954. All aircraft of this type were retired from service by 1964.<ref name="Gunston p. 39" />

;Philippines
[[File:PAF P-51 Mustang.jpg|thumb|Philippine Air Force P-51D: The tailwheels were fixed in the extended position.]]
:The Philippines acquired 103 P-51D Mustangs after World War II, operated by the 6th "Cobras", 7th "Bulldogs" and 8th "Scorpions" tactical fighter squadrons of the 5th Fighter Wing.<ref>{{cite web |title=Orbats |url=https://www.scramble.nl/planning/orbats/philippines/philippine-air-force-history |website=Scramble: Dutch Aviation Society |publisher=Scramble}}</ref> These became the backbone of the postwar [[Philippine Army Air Corps]] and [[Philippine Air Force]], and were used extensively during the [[Hukbalahap|Huk]] campaign, fighting against communist insurgents, as well as the suppression of Moro rebels led by Hadji Kamlon in southern Philippines until 1955. The Mustangs were also the first aircraft of the Philippine air demonstration team, which was formed in 1953 and given the name the [[Blue Diamonds (aerobatic team)|Blue Diamonds]] the following year.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20000226185217/http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Hangar/7279/BLUEDIA2.HTML "Blue Diamonds: Philippine Air Force."] ''geocities.com''. Retrieved: 21 March 2008.</ref> The Mustangs were replaced by 56 F-86 Sabres in the late 1950s, but some were still in service for COIN roles up to the early 1980s.

;Poland
:During World War II, five [[Polish Air Forces in France and Great Britain|Polish Air Force in Great Britain]] squadrons used Mustangs. The first Polish unit equipped (7 June 1942) with Mustang Mk Is was "B" Flight of [[No. 309 Polish Fighter-Reconnaissance Squadron|309 "''Ziemi Czerwieńskiej''" Squadron]]{{#tag:ref|"Ziemi Czerwieńskiej" = "[[Czerwień|Land of Czerwien]]", RAF Polish units retained the name and the logo of a squadron from the Polish Air Force which fought the Germans in 1939.|group=nb}} (an Army Co-Operation Command unit), followed by "A" Flight in March 1943. Subsequently, 309 Squadron was redesignated a fighter/reconnaissance unit and became part of Fighter Command. On 13 March 1944, [[No. 316 Polish Fighter Squadron|316 "''Warszawski''" Squadron]] received their first Mustang Mk IIIs; rearming of the unit was completed by the end of April. By 26 March 1944, [[No. 306 Polish Fighter Squadron|306 "''Toruński''" Sqn]] and [[No. 315 Polish Fighter Squadron|315 "''Dębliński''" Sqn]] received Mustangs Mk IIIs (the whole operation took 12&nbsp;days). On 20 October 1944, Mustang Mk Is in 309 Squadron were replaced by Mk IIIs. On 11 December 1944, the unit was again renamed, becoming 309 ''Dywizjon Myśliwski'' "''Ziemi Czerwieńskiej''" or 309 "Land of Czerwien" Polish Fighter Squadron.<ref>[http://www.polishairforce.pl/dyw309zdj.html "309 Sqn photo gallery."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091111021910/http://www.polishairforce.pl/dyw309zdj.html |date=11 November 2009 }} ''polishairforce.pl.'' Retrieved: 18 February 2010.</ref> In 1945, [[No. 303 Polish Fighter Squadron|303 "''Kościuszko''" Sqn]] received 20 Mustangs Mk IV/Mk IVA replacements. Postwar, between 6 December 1946 and 6 January 1947, all five Polish squadrons equipped with Mustangs were disbanded. Poland returned about 80 Mustang Mk IIIs and 20 Mustangs Mk IV/IVAs to the RAF, which transferred them to the US government.<ref>Mietelski 1981{{page needed|date=September 2011}}</ref>{{page needed|date=September 2011}}

;Somalia
: The [[Somalian Air Force]] operated eight P-51Ds in post-World War II service.<ref>[http://worldairforces.com/Countries/somali/som.html "Somali (SOM)."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110902153010/http://worldairforces.com/Countries/somali/som.html |date=2 September 2011 }} ''World Air Forces.'' Retrieved: 10 September 2011.</ref>

;South Africa
[[File:F-51Ds 2 Sqn SAAF Korea May 1951.jpeg|thumb|North American F-51D Mustang fighters of No. 2 Squadron of the South African Air Force in Korea, on 1 May 1951]]
:No.5 Squadron [[South African Air Force]] operated Mustang Mk IIIs (P-51B/C) and Mk IVs (P-51D/K) in Italy during World War II, beginning in September 1944, when the squadron converted to the Mustang Mk III from Kittyhawks. The Mk IV and Mk IVA came into SA service in March 1945. These aircraft were generally camouflaged in the British style, having been drawn from RAF stocks; all carried RAF serial numbers and were struck off charge and scrapped in October 1945. In 1950, 2 Squadron SAAF was supplied with F-51D Mustangs by the United States for Korean War service. The type performed well in South African hands before being replaced by the F-86 Sabre in 1952 and 1953.<ref name="Gunston p. 39" />

;South Korea
[[File:ROKAF F-51D.JPEG|thumb|The F-51D in ROKAF service]]
:Within a month of the outbreak of the Korean War, 10 F-51D Mustangs were provided to the badly depleted [[Republic of Korea Air Force]] as a part of the [[Bout One]] Project. They were flown by both South Korean airmen, several of whom were veterans of the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy air services during World War II, as well as by US advisers led by Major [[Dean Hess]]. Later, more were provided both from US and from South African stocks, as the latter were converting to F-86 Sabres. They formed the backbone of the South Korean Air Force until they were replaced by Sabres.<ref name="Gunston p. 39" />
:It also served with the ROKAF [[Black Eagles aerobatic team]], until retired in 1954.

;Sweden
[[File:Swedish Airforce P51D Mustang.jpg|thumb|Swedish Air Force J 26 on display at [[Swedish Air Force Museum]]]]
:Sweden's ''[[Swedish Air Force|Flygvapnet]]'' first recuperated four of the P-51s (two P-51Bs and two early P-51Ds) that had been diverted to Sweden during missions over Europe. In February 1945, Sweden purchased 50 P-51Ds designated J 26, which were delivered by American pilots in April and assigned to the [[Uppland Wing]] (F 16) at [[Uppsala]] as interceptors. In early 1946, the [[Jämtland Wing]] (F 4) at [[Östersund]] was equipped with a second batch of 90 P-51Ds. A final batch of 21 Mustangs was purchased in 1948. In all, 161 J 26s served in the [[Swedish Air Force]] during the late 1940s. About 12 were modified for photo reconnaissance and redesignated S 26. Some of these aircraft participated in the secret Swedish mapping of new Soviet military installations at the Baltic coast in 1946–47 (''Operation Falun''), an endeavor that entailed many intentional violations of Soviet airspace. However, the Mustang could outdive any Soviet fighter of that era, so no S 26s were lost in these missions.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WQG9PAAACAAJ |isbn=978-91-7243-015-0 |title=Bortom horisonten: Svensk flygspaning mot Sovjetunionen 1946-1952 |last1=Andersson |first1=Lennart |year=2002 |publisher=Stenbom}}</ref> The J 26s were replaced by [[De Havilland Vampire]]s around 1950. The S 26s were replaced by [[SAAB Tunnan|S 29Cs]] in the early 1950s.<ref name="Gunston p. 39" />

;Switzerland 
[[File:Swiss Air Force P-51 Mustang side view.jpg|thumb|A restored Swiss Air Force P-51D at the [[Flieger-Flab-Museum]]]]
:The [[Swiss Air Force]] operated a few USAAF P-51s that had been impounded by Swiss authorities during World War II after the pilots were forced to land in neutral Switzerland. After the war, Switzerland also bought 130 P-51s for $4,000 each. They served until 1958.<ref name="Gunston p. 39" />

;Soviet Union
: The Soviet Union received at least 10 early-model ex-RAF Mustang Mk Is and tested them, but found them to "under-perform" compared to contemporary USSR fighters, relegating them to training units. Later Lend-Lease deliveries of the P-51B/C and D series, along with other Mustangs abandoned in Russia after the famous [[Shuttle bombing|"shuttle missions"]], were repaired and used by the Soviet Air Force, but not in front-line service.<ref>Gordon 2008, pp. 448–449.</ref>

;Uruguay 
: The [[Uruguayan Air Force]] used 25 P-51D Mustangs from 1950 to 1960; some were subsequently sold to Bolivia.<ref name="Gunston p. 39" />

===P-51s and civil aviation===
[[File:P51 tiptanks Cavalier Mustang.jpg|thumb|Cavalier P-51 Mustang with tiptanks]]

Many P-51s were sold as surplus after the war, often for as little as $1,500. Some were sold to former wartime fliers or other aficionados for personal use, while others were modified for air racing.<ref name="Swiss">Kyburz, Martin. [http://www.swissmustangs.ch/35899.html "Racing Mustangs."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080221194316/http://www.swissmustangs.ch/35899.html |date=21 February 2008 }} ''Swiss Mustangs,'' 2009. Retrieved: 17 January 2012.</ref>

One of the most significant Mustangs involved in air racing was serial number {{USAF serial|44|10947}}, a surplus P-51C-10-NT purchased by film stunt pilot [[Paul Mantz]]. He modified the wings, sealing them to create a giant fuel tank in each one; these "wet wings" reduced the need for fuel stops or drag-inducing drop tanks. Named ''Blaze of Noon'' after the film ''[[Blaze of Noon]]'', the aircraft won the 1946 and 1947 Bendix Air Races, took second in the 1948 Bendix, and placed third in the 1949 Bendix. Mantz also set a US coast-to-coast record in 1947. He sold the Mustang to [[Charles F. Blair Jr]] (future husband of [[Maureen O'Hara]]), who renamed it ''Excalibur III'' and used it to set a New York-to-London (about {{convert|3460|mi|km|disp=or}}) record in 1951: 7 hr 48 min from takeoff at [[John F. Kennedy International Airport|Idlewild]] to overhead London Airport. Later that year, Blair flew from Norway to Fairbanks, Alaska, via the North Pole (about {{convert|3130|mi|km|disp=or}}), proving that navigation via sun sights was possible over the magnetic North Pole region. For this feat, he was awarded the [[Harmon Trophy]] and the Air Force was forced to change its thoughts on a possible Soviet air strike from the north. This Mustang now sits in the [[National Air and Space Museum]]'s [[Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center]].<ref>[http://www.nasm.si.edu/research/aero/aircraft/NAP-51C.htm "Mustang NA P-51C Mustang."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070312185637/http://www.nasm.si.edu/research/aero/aircraft/NAP-51C.htm |date=12 March 2007 }} ''NASM''. Retrieved: 30 September 2010.</ref>

[[File:p51-d mustang 472216 arp.jpg|thumb|''Miss Helen'', a P-51D in its wartime markings as flown by Capt. [[Raymond H. Littge]] of the 487 FS, 352 FG, on aerial display in 2007: It is the last original 352 FG P-51 known to exist.]]
In 1958, the RCAF retired its 78 remaining Mustangs. RCAF pilot [[Lynn Garrison]] ferried them from their various storage locations to [[Canastota, New York]], where the American buyers were based. Garrison flew each of the surviving aircraft at least once. These aircraft make up a large percentage of the aircraft presently flying worldwide.<ref name="sale" />

The most prominent firm to convert Mustangs to civilian use was Trans-Florida Aviation, later renamed Cavalier Aircraft Corporation, which produced the [[Cavalier Mustang]]. Modifications included a taller tailfin and wingtip tanks. Conversions included a Cavalier Mustang specialty: a "tight" second seat added in the space formerly occupied by the military radio and fuselage fuel tank.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, when the [[United States Department of Defense]] wished to supply aircraft to South American countries and later Indonesia for close [[air support]] and [[counterinsurgency]], it paid Cavalier to return some of their civilian conversions back to [[Cavalier Mustang#Military Cavaliers|updated military specifications]].

In the 21st century, a P-51 can command a price of more than $1&nbsp;million, even for only partially restored aircraft.<ref name="sale">[http://www.mustangsmustangs.net/p-51/p51sforsale/4473142apr2005.shtml "P-51s for Sale."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060715193735/http://www.mustangsmustangs.net/p-51/p51sforsale/4473142apr2005.shtml |date=15 July 2006 }} ''mustangsmustangs.net.'' Retrieved: 30 September 2010.</ref> There were 204 privately owned P-51s in the US on the [[FAA]] registry in 2011,<ref>[http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/AcftRef_Results.aspx?Mfrtxt=NORTH+AMERICAN&Modeltxt=P-51&PageNo=1 "North American P-51".] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120715104400/http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/AcftRef_Results.aspx?Mfrtxt=NORTH+AMERICAN&Modeltxt=P-51&PageNo=1 |date=15 July 2012 }} ''FAA Registry.'' Retrieved: 15 May 2011.</ref> most of which are still flying, often associated with organizations such as the [[Commemorative Air Force]] (formerly the Confederate Air Force).<ref name="Dixie">[http://www.dixiewing.org/aircraft_rides/ "Aircraft rides."] ''Dixie Wing.'' Retrieved: 1 September 2010. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120204214445/http://www.dixiewing.org/aircraft_rides/ |date=4 February 2012 }}</ref>

[[File:The Rebel P-51D-25NT N151CF 2014 Reno Air Races photo D Ramey Logan.jpg|thumb|''The Rebel'', a P-51D-25-NT, at the 2014 Reno Air Races]]

In May 2013, [[Doug Matthews]] set an altitude record of {{convert|42568|ft|abbr=on|order=flip}} in a P-51 named ''The Rebel'' for piston-powered aircraft weighing {{convert|3000|to|6000|kg|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2013/05/31/doug-matthews-sets-several-records-with-a-p-51-mustang/ |title=Doug Matthews sets several records flying a P-51 Mustang |work=World Warbird News |access-date=1 April 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402121112/http://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2013/05/31/doug-matthews-sets-several-records-with-a-p-51-mustang/ |archive-date=2 April 2015}}</ref> Flying from a grass runway at Florida's [[Indiantown, Florida|Indiantown]] airport and over [[Lake Okeechobee]], Matthews set world records for time to reach altitudes of {{convert|9000|m|abbr=on}}, 18 minutes and {{convert|12000|m|abbr=on}}, 31 minutes. He set a level-flight altitude record of {{convert|40100|ft|abbr=on|order=flip}} in level flight and an absolute altitude record of {{convert|42500|ft|abbr=on|order=flip}},<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.eaa.org/en/eaa/eaa-news-and-aviation-news/warbirds/2013-05-30-doug-matthews-sets-world-records-in-p-51d |title=Doug Matthews Sets World Records in P-51D |work=eaa.org |access-date=1 April 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402101949/http://www.eaa.org/en/eaa/eaa-news-and-aviation-news/warbirds/2013-05-30-doug-matthews-sets-world-records-in-p-51d |archive-date=2 April 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs091/1102200709681/archive/1110419649863.html |title=July 2012 NAA Record Newsletter |work=constantcontact.com |access-date=1 April 2015 }}</ref> breaking the previous record of {{convert|36902|ft|abbr=on|order=flip}} set in 1954.

==== Incidents ====
* On 9 June 1973, [[William Penn Patrick]] (43) a certified pilot and his passenger, Christian Hagert, died when Patrick's P-51 Mustang crashed in [[Lakeport, California]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www3.ntsb.gov/aviationquery/brief.aspx?ev_id=86405&key=0 |title=NTSB Identification: OAK73FVG65 |publisher=National Transportation Safety Board |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130620174847/http://www3.ntsb.gov/aviationquery/brief.aspx?ev_id=86405&key=0 |archive-date=20 June 2013}}</ref><ref name=crash-at-farrels>[http://www.check-six.com/Crash_Sites/Sabrejet_crash_site.htm "The Crash at Farrell's Ice Cream Parlor in Sacramento, CA – September 24, 1972, Postscript."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080320003854/http://www.check-six.com/Crash_Sites/Sabrejet_crash_site.htm |date=20 March 2008 }} ''Check Six'', 2002. Retrieved: 8 February 2014.</ref>
* On 1 July 1990 at the National Capital Air Show ([[Ottawa]], Ontario, Canada), Harry E. Tope was killed when his P-51 Mustang crashed.<ref>{{cite web |title=Warbird Registry |url=http://www.warbirdregistry.org/p51registry/p51-4511586.html |access-date=18 September 2009}}</ref>
* On 16 September 2011 ''[[The Galloping Ghost (aircraft)|The Galloping Ghost]]'', a modified P-51 piloted by Jimmy Leeward of Ocala, Florida, [[2011 Reno Air Races crash|crashed during an air race in Reno, Nevada]]. Leeward and at least nine people on the ground were killed when the racer suddenly crashed near the edge of the grandstand.<ref>Barboza, Tony. [http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/nationnow/2011/09/reno-air-crash-ntsb.html "Reno air races crash: NTSB investigates elevator trim tab."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150103053943/http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/nationnow/2011/09/reno-air-crash-ntsb.html |date=3 January 2015 }} ''Los Angeles Times,'' 14 June 2012. Retrieved: 17 September 2011.</ref>

==Variants==
{{Main|North American P-51 Mustang variants}}
Over 20 variants of the P-51 Mustang were produced from 1940 to after the war.

===Production===
Except for the small numbers assembled or produced in Australia, all Mustangs were built by North American initially at [[Inglewood, California]], but then additionally in [[Dallas]], Texas.

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="vertical-align: top;"
|- 
|+ North American-built airframes<ref name="Andrade, John M. p. 150">Andrade, John M. ''U.S. Military Aircraft Designations and Serials since 1909'', p. 150. Leicester, UK: Midland Counties Publication, 1979, {{ISBN|0-904597-22-9}}</ref><ref name="Peçzkowski, Robert p. 28">Peçzkowski, Robert. ''North American P-51D Mustang'', p. 28. Sandomierz, Poland: STRATUS s.c., 2009, {{ISBN|978-83-89450-60-9}}</ref>
|-
! scope="col" style=width:100px;| Variant
! scope="col" | Number built
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
! scope="row" | NA-73X
| style="text-align: right" | 1
| Prototype
|-
! scope="row" | XP-51
| style="text-align: right" | 2
| Prototypes
|-
! scope="row" | Mustang I
| style="text-align: right" | 620
| Built for RAF at Inglewood, California
|-
! scope="row" | [[North American A-36 Apache|A-36 Apache]]
| style="text-align: right" | 500
| Dive-bomber variant of P-51; also known as "Invader" or "Mustang"
|-
! scope="row" | P-51
| style="text-align: right" | 150
| Built at Inglewood, California. 93 were Lend-Leased to the UK, operated by RAF as the "Mustang Ia". 57 were retained by the USAAF and fitted with Allison V-1710-39 engines.
|- style="vertical-align:top"
! scope="row" | P-51A-NA
| style="text-align: right" | 310
| Built at Inglewood, California. 50 Lend-Leased to the RAF as the "Mustang II".
|-
! scope="row" | XP-51B
| style="text-align: right" | 2
| Prototypes of P-51B
|-
! scope="row" | P-51B-NA
| style="text-align: right" | 1,987
| Built at Inglewood, California. First production version to be equipped with the Merlin engine. 308 supplied under Lend-Lease and operated by the RAF as "Mustang III".
|-
! scope="row" | P-51C-NT
| style="text-align: right" | 1,750
| First P-51 variant to be built at North American's Dallas plant. Identical to P-51B. Mustangs built by North American in Dallas were suffixed "-NT". 636 were supplied under Lend-Lease to the RAF as the "Mustang III".
|-
! scope="row" | XP-51D
| style="text-align: right" | 3
| Prototypes of P-51D
|-
! scope="row" | P-51D-NA/-NT
| style="text-align: right" | {{right|8,200}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=North American P-51 Mustang |url=https://www.nationalww2museum.org/visit/museum-campus/us-freedom-pavilion/warbirds/north-american-p-51-mustang |access-date=5 November 2023 |website=The National WWII Museum {{!}} New Orleans |language=en}}</ref>
| 6,600 built at Inglewood and 1,600 built at Dallas. 100 P-51D-1-NA were sent unassembled to Australia. 282 under Lend-Lease served in the RAF as the "Mustang IV".
|-
! scope="row" | XP-51F
| style="text-align: right" | 3
| Lightweight version
|-
! scope="row" | XP-51G
| style="text-align: right" | 2
| Lightweight version; five-bladed propeller
|-
! scope="row" | P-51H-NA
| style="text-align: right" | 555
| Built at Inglewood, California
|-
! scope="row" | XP-51J
| style="text-align: right" | 2
| Allison-engined lightweight development.
|-
! scope="row" | P-51K-NT
| style="text-align: right" | 1,500
| Built at Dallas, Texas. Identical to the P-51D except fitted with a four-bladed Aeroproducts propeller. 600 Lend-Leased to the RAF as the "Mustang IVa".
|-
! scope="row" | P-51M-NT
| style="text-align: right" | 1
| Same as P-51D-25-NT and P-51D-30-NT, but with the non-water injected V-1650-9A engine for low-altitude operations and sharing the cuffless Hamilton Standard propeller.<ref>AN 01-60JE-4 Parts Catalog USAF Series P-51D and P-51K Aircraft, revised 31 May 1949, p. 55</ref><ref>AN 01-60JE-4 Parts Catalog USAF Series F-51D, TF-51D, and F-51K Aircraft, revised 15 May 1953, p. 55</ref> It was intended to enter full production at Dallas, but the contract was later cancelled.
|- class="sortbottom"
! scope="row" | Total number built
| style="text-align: right" | 15,588 
| Includes 100 sent unassembled to Australia
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="vertical-align: top;"
|-
|+ Australian production by [[Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation]]<ref name="Andrade, John M. p. 150" /><ref name="Peçzkowski, Robert p. 28" />
|-
! scope="col" | Variant
! scope="col" | Number built
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
! scope="row" | [[Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation]] CA-17 Mustang Mk 20
| style="text-align: right" | 80
| 100 unassembled P-51D-1-NA were delivered as kits to Australia, but only 80 were built.
|-
! scope="row" | CAC CA-18 Mustang Mk 21, Mk 22 and Mk 23
| style="text-align: right" | 120
| License production in Australia of 120 (170 were originally ordered) P-51D. The Mk 21 and Mk 22 used the American-built Packard V-1650-3 or V-1650-7 engine and the Mk 23 (which followed the Mk 21) was powered by a Rolls-Royce Merlin 66 or Merlin 70 engine.
|- class="sortbottom"
! scope="row" | Total number built
| style="text-align: right" | 200 ||
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="vertical-align: top;"
|-
|+ Conversions of already-built Mustangs<ref name="Andrade, John M. p. 150" /><ref name="Peçzkowski, Robert p. 28" />
|-
! scope="col" | Variant
! scope="col" | Number converted
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
! scope="row" | TP-51C
| data-sort-value="5" | At least 5 
| Field modification to create dual-control variant; at least five known built during World War II for training and VIP transport.<ref>{{Citation |url=http://www.collingsfoundation.org/ma_p51mustang_hist.htm |title=History of the TP-51C Mustang |publisher=Collings Foundation. |access-date=17 September 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120731224342/http://www.collingsfoundation.org/ma_p51mustang_hist.htm |archive-date=31 July 2012}}</ref>
|-
! scope="row" | ETF-51D 
| style="text-align: right" | 1
| One P-51D modified for use on an [[aircraft carrier]].
|-
! scope="row" | [[Rolls-Royce Mustang Mk.X|Rolls-Royce Mustang Mk X]]
| style="text-align: right" | 5
| Five prototype conversions only – two Mustang Mk I airframes were initially trial fitted with Rolls-Royce Merlin 65 engines in mid-late 1942, to test the performance of the aircraft with a powerplant better adapted to medium/high altitudes. The successful conversion of the Packard V-1650 Merlin-powered P-51B/C equivalent rendered this experiment as superfluous. Although the conversions were highly successful, the planned production of 500 examples was cancelled.<ref>Birch 1987, pp. 96–98.</ref>
|}

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|-
|+ Cancelled contracts<ref name="Andrade, John M. p. 150" /><ref name="Peçzkowski, Robert p. 28" />
|-
! scope="col" | Variant
! scope="col" | Notes
|-
! scope="row" | NA-133
| P-51H for the [[United States Navy|US Navy]], with [[folding wing]]s, an [[Tailhook|arrestor hook]] and [[Aircraft fuel tanks|tip tanks]].
|-
! scope="row" | P-51L-NT
| Lightweight version
|-
! scope="row" | CAC CA-21 Mustang Mk 24
|License production of 250 two-seater Mustangs.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Australian Built Military Aircraft. |url=http://www.adf-serials.com/research/ozbuilt.shtml |access-date=22 June 2021 |website=www.adf-serials.com}}</ref>
|}

==Accidents and incidents==
{{Main|Accidents and incidents involving the North American P-51 Mustang}}

==Surviving aircraft==
[[File:P51-C Betty Jane.jpg|TP-51C "Betty Jane" dual control Warbird of the [[Collings Foundation]] appears at airshows around the United States|thumb|right]]
{{Main|List of surviving North American P-51 Mustangs}}

==Specifications (P-51D Mustang)==
[[File:North American P-51D EG-0068-01.svg|thumb|3-view drawing of P-51D Mustang]]
[[File:North American P-51 Mustang Gunfighter (03).jpg|right|thumb|Nose of P-51 ''Gunfighter'']]
[[File:North American P-51 Mustang Gunfighter (10).jpg|right|thumb|Wing with three .50 caliber machine guns]]

{{Aircraft specs
|ref=Erection and Maintenance Manual for P-51D and P-51K,<ref>AN 01-60JE-2 1944.</ref> P-51 Tactical Planning Characteristics & Performance Chart,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wwiiaircraftperformance.org/mustang/p-51-tactical-chart.jpg |title=P-51 Tactical Planning Characteristics & Performance Chart |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304185707/http://www.wwiiaircraftperformance.org/mustang/p-51-tactical-chart.jpg |archive-date=4 March 2016}}</ref> The Great Book of Fighters,<ref name="Green">Green and Swanborough 2001</ref> ''and'' Quest for Performance<ref>Loftin 2006.</ref>
|prime units?=imp
<!--
        General characteristics
-->
|crew=1
|length ft=32
|length in=3
|span ft=37
|span in=0
|height ft=13
|height in=4.5
|height note=tail wheel on ground, vertical propeller blade
|wing area sqft=235
|airfoil=[[NACA airfoil|NAA/NACA 45–100]]
|empty weight lb=7,635
|gross weight lb=9,200
|max takeoff weight lb=12,100
|max takeoff weight kg=5,490
|fuel capacity={{cvt|269|usgal|impgal l}}
|more general=
*'''[[Zero-lift drag coefficient]]:''' 0.0163
*'''[[zero-lift drag coefficient|Drag area:]]''' 3.80&nbsp;sqft (0.35&nbsp;m²)
|aspect ratio= 5.83
<!--
        Powerplant
-->
|eng1 number=1
|eng1 name=[[Packard V-1650 Merlin|Packard (Rolls-Royce) V-1650-7 Merlin]]
|eng1 type=12-cylinder liquid cooled engine
|eng1 hp=1,490
|eng1 note=at 3,000 rpm;<ref>{{citation |url=http://collections.nasm.si.edu/code/emuseum.asp?profile=objects&newstyle=single&quicksearch=A19520106000 |title="Objects: A19520106000&nbsp;– Packard (Rolls-Royce) Merlin V-1650-7" |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090327233710/http://collections.nasm.si.edu/code/emuseum.asp?profile=objects&newstyle=single&quicksearch=A19520106000 |archive-date=27 March 2009 |work=Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Collections Database}}</ref> {{cvt|1,720|hp}} at [[War emergency power|WEP]]
|prop blade number=4
|prop name=[[Hamilton Standard]] [[constant-speed propeller|constant-speed]], [[Variable-pitch propeller (aeronautics)|variable-pitch]] 
|prop dia m=3.40
|prop dia ft=11
|prop dia in=2
<!--
        Performance
-->
|max speed mph=440
|max speed kts=383
|cruise speed mph=362
|cruise speed kts=315
|stall speed mph=100
|stall speed kts=87
|range miles=1,650
|range nmi=1,434
|range note= with external tanks
|ceiling ft=41,900
|climb rate ftmin=3,200
|wing loading lb/sqft=39
|power/mass={{cvt|0.162|/|0.187|hp/lb}}
|more performance=
*'''Recommended Mach limit''' 0.8
|lift to drag=14.6
<!--
        Armament
-->
|guns=6 × [[.50 BMG|.50 caliber (12.7mm)]] [[M2 Browning machine gun|AN/M2 Browning machine gun]]s with 1,840 total rounds (380 rounds for each on the inboard pair and 270 rounds for each of the outer two pair)
|bombs= 1 × {{convert|100|lb|kg|abbr=on}} or  {{convert|250|lb|kg|abbr=on}} bomb or {{convert|500|lb|kg|abbr=on}} bomb on hardpoint under each wing<ref>{{citation |url=http://www.wwiiaircraftperformance.org/mustang/P-51D-manual-5april44.pdf |title=Pilot's Flight Operating Instructions, Army Model P-51-D-5, British Model Mustang IV Airplanes |date=5 April 1944 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150210165939/http://www.wwiiaircraftperformance.org/mustang/P-51D-manual-5april44.pdf |archive-date=10 February 2015 |pages=38–40 |access-date=13 July 2015 |via=wwiiaircraftperformance.org |url-status=live}}. <!-- Manual notes that bombs from both hardpoints (100-pound bomb, 250-pound bomb or 500-pound bomb on each hardpoint) can be released simultaneously (in salvo), or one at a time: the bomb on the left hardpoint is released with the first press of the bomb release switch and then the bomb on the right hardpoint is released with second press of the bomb release switch. The bomb release switch is on the top of the pilot's control stick and pressed with his thumb. --></ref>
|rockets= 6 or 10 × 5.0 in (127 mm) [[High Velocity Aircraft Rocket|T64 HVAR rockets]] (P-51D-25, P-51K-10 on){{#tag:ref|The P-51D and K Maintenance manual notes that carrying 1,000 lb bombs was not recommended, because the racks were not designed for them.<ref name="AN 01-60JE-2 1944, pp. 398-399">AN 01-60JE-2 1944, pp. 398–399.</ref> Six rockets could be carried on removable "Zero Rail" launchers with the wing racks installed, 10 without wing racks.<ref>AN 01-60JE-2 1944, p. 400.</ref>|group=nb}}

|avionics=
|power/mass note=(without / with [[War emergency power|WEP]])}}

==Notable appearances in media==
{{Main|Aircraft in fiction#P-51 Mustang}}
<!-- All content about the aircraft in fictional and gaming use has been moved to [[Aircraft in fiction, please see [[WP:AIRPOP]] -->
[[File:P-51C-18.jpg|thumb|The restored P-51C Mustang associated with the [[Tuskegee Airmen]] now flown by [[Red Tail Project]] as described in ''[[Red Tail Reborn]]'']]

*''[[Red Tail Reborn]]'' (2007) is the story behind the restoration of a flying memorial aircraft.

==Scale replicas==
As indicative of the iconic nature of the P-51, manufacturers within the hobby industry have created scale plastic model kits of the P-51 Mustang, with varying degrees of detail and skill levels. The aircraft have also been the subject of numerous scale flying replicas.<ref>Smith, O.S. [http://www.seas.ucla.edu/~osmith/s51/kits.html "Other Mustang Kits and Links."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120606005025/http://www.seas.ucla.edu/~osmith/s51/kits.html |date=6 June 2012 }} ''Unofficial Stewart 51 Builders Page.'' Retrieved: 24 April 2012.</ref> Aside from the popular model aircraft, several [[kitplane]] manufacturers offer {{frac|1|2}}, {{frac|2|3}}, and {{frac|3|4}}-scale replicas capable of comfortably seating one (or even two) and offering high performance combined with more forgiving flight characteristics.<ref>[http://www.titanaircraft.com/index.php "Where Dreams Take Flight."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120604023615/http://www.titanaircraft.com/index.php |date=4 June 2012 }} ''Titan Aircraft,'' 2012. Retrieved: 24 April 2012.</ref> Such aircraft include the [[Titan T-51 Mustang]], [[W.A.R. P-51 Mustang]], [[Linn Mini Mustang]], [[Jurca Gnatsum]], [[Thunder Mustang]], [[Stewart S-51D Mustang]], [[Loehle 5151 Mustang]] and [[ScaleWings SW51 Mustang]].<ref>[http://www.soseisberg.com/plane.php?pagina_id=12 "P-51D Mustang Replica."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090403082427/http://www.soseisberg.com/plane.php?pagina_id=12 |date=3 April 2009 }} ''SOS-Eisberg,'' 2012. Retrieved: 24 April 2012.</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Aviation}}
{{aircontent
|related=
* [[CAC CA-15]]
* [[North American FJ-1 Fury]]
|similar aircraft=
* [[Fisher P-75 Eagle]]
* [[Hawker Typhoon]]/[[Hawker Tempest|Tempest]]
* [[Kawanishi N1K]]
* [[Kawasaki Ki-61]]
* [[Lavochkin La-5]]/[[Lavochkin La-7|La-7]]/[[Lavochkin La-9|La-9]]
* [[Mitsubishi A6M]]3/4/5/6/7/8 "Zero"
* [[Mitsubishi J2M]]
* [[Nakajima Ki-44]]
* [[Vought F4U Corsair]]
* [[Yakovlev Yak-9]]/[[Yakovlev Yak-3|Yak-3]]
|lists=
* [[Allied technological cooperation during World War II]]
* [[List of aircraft of the United Kingdom in World War II]]
* [[List of aircraft of World War II]]
* [[List of fighter aircraft]]
* [[List of military aircraft of the United States]]
|see also=
}}

==Footnotes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
===Notes===
{{Reflist|group=nb}}

===Citations===
{{Reflist}}

===Bibliography===
* ''Aerei da combattimento della Seconda Guerra Mondiale'' (in Italian). Novara, Italy: De Agostini Editore, 2005.
* Anderson, Peter N. ''Mustangs of the RAAF and RNZAF.'' Sydney, Australia: A.H. & A.W. Reed Pty Ltd, 1975. {{ISBN|0-589-07130-0}}.
* Angelucci, Enzo and Peter Bowers. ''The American Fighter: The Definitive Guide to American Fighter Aircraft from 1917 to the Present''. New York: Orion Books, 1985. {{ISBN|0-517-56588-9}}.
*Aro, Chuck and Colin Aro. "World's Fastest Mustangs". ''[[Air Enthusiast]]''. No. 13, August–November 1980. pp.&nbsp;56–62. {{ISSN|0143-5450}}
* Birch, David. ''Rolls-Royce and the Mustang.'' Derby, UK: Rolls-Royce Heritage Trust, 1987. {{ISBN|0-9511710-0-3}}.
* Bowen, Ezra. ''Knights of the Air'' (Epic of Flight). New York: [[Time-Life Books]], 1980. {{ISBN|0-8094-3252-8}}.
* Borth, Christy. ''Masters of Mass Production.'' Indianapolis, Indiana: Bobbs-Merrill Co., 1945.
* Bowman, Martin W. ''P-51 Mustang vs Fw 190: Europe 1943–45''. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing, 2007. {{ISBN|1-84603-189-3}}.
* Boylan, Bernard. [https://web.archive.org/web/20160304055601/http://www.afhra.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-090529-044.pdf ''Development of the Long Range Escort Fighter''.] Washington, D.C.: USAF Historical Division, Research Studies Institute, Air University, 1955. Retrieved: 15 July 2014.
* Boyne, Walter J. ''Clash of Wings.'' New York: Simon & Schuster, 1994. {{ISBN|0-684-83915-6}}.
* Breffort, Dominique with André Jouineau. ''Le North-American P-51 Mustang&nbsp;– de 1940 à 1980 (Avions et Pilotes 5)''(in French). Paris: Histoire et Collections, 2003. {{ISBN|2-913903-80-0}}.
* Bridgman, Leonard, ed. "The North American Mustang." ''Jane's Fighting Aircraft of World War II''. London: Studio, 1946. {{ISBN|1-85170-493-0}}.
* Caldwell, Donald and Richard Muller. ''The Luftwaffe over Germany – Defense of the Reich.'' St. Paul, Minnesota: Greenhill books, MBI Publishing, 2007. {{ISBN|978-185367-712-0}}.
* Carson, Leonard "Kit." ''Pursue & Destroy.'' Granada Hills, California: Sentry Books Inc., 1978. {{ISBN|0-913194-05-0}}.
* Carter, Dustin W. and Birch J. Matthews.''Mustang: The Racing Thoroughbred''. West Chester, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Publishing Company, 1992. {{ISBN|978-0-88740-391-0}}.
*{{cite magazine |last=Cleaver |first=Tom |title=Return of the Razorbacks |magazine=[[Air Enthusiast]] |date=April–July 1982 |issue=18 |pages=26–31 |issn=0143-5450}}
* {{cite book |last1=Craven |first1=Wesley |first2=James |last2=Cate |title=The Army Air Forces in World War II, Volume Two: Europe, Torch to Pointblank, August 1942 to December 1943 |location=Chicago |publisher=University of Chicago |date=1949}}
* Darling, Kev. ''P-51 Mustang'' (Combat Legend). Shrewsbury, UK: Airlife, 2002. {{ISBN|1-84037-357-1}}.
* Davis, Larry. ''P-51 Mustang''. Carrollton, Texas: Squadron/Signal Publications, Inc., 1995. {{ISBN|0-89747-350-7}}.
* Dean, Francis H. ''America's Hundred Thousand''. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 1997. {{ISBN|0-7643-0072-5}}.
* Delve, Ken. ''The Mustang Story.'' London: Cassell & Co., 1999. {{ISBN|1-85409-259-6}}.
* Delve, Ken. ''The Source Book of the RAF''. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing, 1994. {{ISBN|1-85310-451-5}}.
* Dienst, John and Dan Hagedorn. ''North American F-51 Mustangs in Latin American Air Force Service''. London: Aerofax, 1985. {{ISBN|0-942548-33-7}}.
* Donald, David, ed. ''Encyclopedia of World Aircraft.'' Etobicoke, Ontario: Prospero, 1997. {{ISBN|1-85605-375-X}}.
* [[Robert F. Dorr|Dorr, Robert F.]] ''P-51 Mustang ''(Warbird History). St. Paul, Minnesota: Motorbooks International Publishers, 1995. {{ISBN|0-7603-0002-X}}.
* [[Jeffrey Ethell|Ethell, Jeffrey L]]. ''Mustang: A Documentary History of the P-51''. London: Jane's Publishing, 1981. {{ISBN|0-531-03736-3}}
* Ethell, Jeffrey L. ''P-51 Mustang: In Color, Photos from World War II and Korea.'' St. Paul, Minnesota: Motorbooks International Publishers & Wholesalers, 1993. {{ISBN|0-87938-818-8}}.
* Ethell, Jeffrey and Robert Sand. [https://books.google.com/books?id=LFdBr94PSHcC&pg=PA126 ''World War II Fighters.'']{{Dead link|date=July 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Minneapolis, Minnesota: Zenith Imprint, 2002. {{ISBN|978-0-7603-1354-1}}.
* Forsyth, Robert. ''JV44: The Galland Circus''. Burgess Hill, West Sussex, UK: Classic Publications, 1996. {{ISBN|0-9526867-0-8}}
* Furse, Anthony. ''Wilfrid Freeman: The Genius Behind Allied Survival and Air Supremacy, 1939 to 1945.'' Staplehurst, UK: Spellmount, 1999. {{ISBN|1-86227-079-1}}.
* Gilman J.D. and J. Clive. ''KG 200''. London: Pan Books Ltd., 1978. {{ISBN|0-85177-819-4}}.
* Glancey, Jonathan. ''Spitfire: The Illustrated Biography''. London: Atlantic Books, 2006. {{ISBN|978-1-84354-528-6}}.
*{{cite journal |last=Gordon |first=Doug |title=Tac Recon Masters: The 66th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing in Europe, Part One |journal=[[Air Enthusiast]] |issue=94 |date=July–August 2001 |pages=31–39 |issn=0143-5450}}
* Gordon, Yefim. ''Soviet Air Power in World War 2.'' Hinckley, UK: Midland Ian Allan Publishing, 2008. {{ISBN|978-1-85780-304-4}}.
* Grant, William Newby. ''P-51 Mustang.'' London: Bison Books, 1980. {{ISBN|0-89009-320-2}}.
* [[William Green (author)|Green, William]] and Gordon Swanborough. ''The Great Book of Fighters.'' St. Paul, Minnesota: MBI Publishing, 2001. {{ISBN|0-7603-1194-3}}.
* Gruenhagen, Robert W. ''Mustang: The Story of the P-51 Fighter (rev. ed.).'' New York: Arco Publishing Company, Inc., 1980. {{ISBN|0-668-04884-0}}.
* Gunston, Bill. ''An Illustrated Guide to Allied Fighters of World War II.'' London: Salamander Books Ltd, 1981. {{ISBN|0-668-05228-7}}.
* [[Bill Gunston|Gunston, Bill]]. ''Aerei della seconda guerra mondiale'' (in Italian). Milan: Peruzzo editore, 1984. No ISBN.
* Gunston, Bill and Mike Spick. ''Modern Air Combat.'' Crescent Books, 1983, {{ISBN|91-972803-8-0}}.
* Gunston, Bill. ''North American P-51 Mustang.'' New York: Gallery Books, 1990. {{ISBN|0-8317-1402-6}}.
* Gunston, Bill and Robert F. Dorr. "North American P-51 Mustang: The Fighter That Won the War." ''[[Wings of Fame (magazine)|Wings of Fame]],'' Volume 1. London: Aerospace, 1995, pp.&nbsp;56–115. {{ISBN|1-874023-74-3}}.
* Hagedorn, Dan. ''Central American and Caribbean Air Forces''. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians), 1993. {{ISBN|0-85130-210-6}}.
* Hagedorn, Dan. [https://web.archive.org/web/20110712213342/http://www.hikokiwarplanes.com/downloads/laaws-downloads.html ''Latin American Air Wars & Aircraft''.] Crowborough, UK: Hikoki, 2006. {{ISBN|1-902109-44-9}}.
* Hammond, Grant. ''The Mind of War: John Boyd and American Security'', Smithsonian Institution Press, 2001, {{ISBN|1-56098-941-6}}.
* Hastings, Max. ''Bomber Command''. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Zenith Press, 1979. {{ISBN|978-0-76034-520-7}}.
*{{cite book |last1=Hatch |first1=Gardner N. |last2=Winter |first2=Frank H. |title=P-51 Mustang |date=1993 |publisher=Turner Publishing Company |location=Paducah, KY |isbn=978-1-56311-080-1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EkUc5FEoaIsC}}
* Hess, William N. ''Fighting Mustang: The Chronicle of the P-51.'' New York: Doubleday and Company, 1970. {{ISBN|0-912173-04-1}}.
* "History, Boeing: P-51 Mustang". ''Boeing''. Retrieved: 24 June 2014.
* Jackson, Robert. ''Aircraft of World War II: Development, Weaponry, Specifications''. Edison, New Jersey: Chartwell Books, 2003. {{ISBN|0-7858-1696-8}}.
* Jackson, Robert. ''Mustang: The Operational Record''. Shrewsbury, UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd., 1992. {{ISBN|1-85310-212-1}}.
* Jerram, Michael F. ''P-51 Mustang.'' Yeovil, UK: Winchmore Publishing Services Ltd., 1984, {{ISBN|0-85429-423-6}}.
* Johnsen, Frederick A. ''Bell P-39/P-63 Airacobra & Kingcobra''. St. Paul, Minnesota: Voyageur Press, 1998. {{ISBN|1-58007-010-8}}.
* Johnsen, Frederick A. ''North American P-51 Mustang.'' North Branch, Minnesota: Specialty Press Publishers and Wholesalers, 1996. {{ISBN|0-933424-68-X}}.
* Kaplan, Philip. ''Fly Navy: Naval Aviators and Carrier Aviation: A History.'' New York: Michael Friedman Publishing Group Incorporated, 2001. {{ISBN|1-58663-189-6}}.
* Kinzey, Bert. ''P-51 Mustang in Detail & Scale: Part 1; Prototype through P-51C''. Carrollton, Texas: Detail & Scale Inc., 1996. {{ISBN|1-888974-02-8}}.
* Kinzey, Bert. ''P-51 Mustang in Detail & Scale: Part 2; P-51D thu P-82H''. Carrollton, Texas: Detail & Scale Inc., 1997. {{ISBN|1-888974-03-6}}
* Knaack, Marcelle Size. ''Encyclopedia of U.S. Air Force Aircraft and Missile Systems: Volume 1 Post-World War II Fighters 1945–1973.'' Washington, D.C.: Office of Air Force History, 1978. {{ISBN|0-912799-59-5}}.
* {{cite book |last=Lawrence |first=Joseph |title=The Observer's Book Of Airplanes |location=London and New York |publisher=Frederick Warne & Co |year=1945}}
* Lednicer, David A. and Ian J. Gilchrist. "A Retrospective: Computational Aerodynamic Analysis Methods Applied to the P-51 Mustang." ''AIAA paper 91-3288,'' September 1991.
* Lednicer, David A. "Technical Note: A CFD Evaluation of Three Prominent World War II Fighter Aircraft." ''Aeronautical Journal'', Royal Aeronautical Society, June/July 1995.
* Lednicer, David A. "World War II Fighter Aerodynamics." ''EAA Sport Aviation'', January 1999.
* Leffingwell, Randy (and David Newhardt, photography). ''Mustang: 40&nbsp;Years.'' St. Paul, Minnesota: Crestline (Imprint of MBI Publishing Company), 2003. {{ISBN|0-7603-2122-1}}.
* Liming, R.A. ''Mathematics for Computer Graphics''. Fallbrook, California: Aero Publishers, 1979. {{ISBN|978-0-8168-6751-6}}.
* Liming, R.A. ''Practical Analytic Geometry With Applications to Aircraft''. New York: The MacMillan Company, 1944.
* Loftin, LK, Jr. [http://www.hq.nasa.gov/pao/History/SP-468/cover.htm ''Quest for Performance: The Evolution of Modern Aircraft, NASA SP-468.''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060613210139/http://www.hq.nasa.gov/pao/History/SP-468/cover.htm |date=13 June 2006 }} Washington, D.C.: NASA History Office. Retrieved: 22 April 2006.
* Lowe, Malcolm V. ''North American P-51 Mustang'' (Crowood Aviation Series). Ramsbury, Wiltshire, UK: Crowood Press, 2009. {{ISBN|978-1-86126-830-3}}.
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* Matricardi, Paolo. ''Aerei militari: Caccia e Ricognitori''(in Italian). Milan: Mondadori Electa, 2006.
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* Miller, Donald L. ''Eighth Air Force: The American Bomber Crews in Britain''. London: Aurum Press, 2007. {{ISBN|978-1-84513-221-7}}. 
* Munson, Kenneth. ''Caccia e aerei da attacco e addestramento dal 1946&nbsp;ad oggi''(in Italian). Torino: Editrice S.A.I.E., 1969. No ISBN.
* O'Leary, Michael. ''P-51 Mustang: The Story of Manufacturing North American's Legendary World War II Fighter in Original Photos.'' North Branch, Minnesota: Specialty Press, 2010. {{ISBN|978-1-58007-152-9}}.
* O'Leary, Michael. ''USAAF Fighters of World War Two.'' New York: Sterling Publishing Co., 1986. {{ISBN|0-7137-1839-0}}.
* Oliver, David. ''P-51 Mustang''. Amberley Publishing, 2023. {{ISBN|9781398110564}}.
* Olmsted, Merle. ''The 357th Over Europe: the 357th Fighter Group in World War II''. St. Paul, Minnesota: Phalanx Publishing, 1994. {{ISBN|0-933424-73-6}}.
* Pace, Steve. "Mustang – Thoroughbred Stallion of the Air". Stroud, UK: Fonthill Media, 2012. {{ISBN|978-1-78155-051-9}}
* Pearcy, Arthur. ''Lend-Lease Aircraft in World War II''. Shrewsbury, UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd., 1996. {{ISBN|1-85310-443-4}}.
*{{cite journal |title=Pentagon Over the Islands: The Thirty-Year History of Indonesian Military Aviation |journal=Air Enthusiast Quarterly |date=n.d. |issue=2 |pages=154–162 |issn=0143-5450}}
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* Shores, Christopher. "The Allison-engined Mustang: A Fighting Combination". ''Air Enthusiast Quarterly'', No. 2, n.d., pp.&nbsp;191–206. {{ISSN|0143-5450}} 
* Sims, Edward H. ''Fighter Tactics and Strategy 1914–1970''. Fallbrook, California: Aero publisher Inc., 1980. {{ISBN|0-8168-8795-0}}.
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* Spick, Mike. ''Fighter Pilot Tactics. The Techniques of Daylight Air Combat''. Cambridge, UK: Patrick Stephens, 1983. {{ISBN|0-85059-617-3}}.
* Spick, Mike. ''Designed for the Kill: The Jet Fighter—Development and Experience.'' United States Naval Institute, 1995, {{ISBN|0-87021-059-9}}.
* Stevenson, James. ''The Pentagon Paradox: The Development of the F-18 Hornet.'' Naval Institute Press, 1993, {{ISBN|1-55750-775-9}}.
* Tillman, Barrett. ''Hellcat Aces of World War 2''. London: Osprey Aerospace, 1996. {{ISBN|1-85532-596-9}}.
* ''United States Air Force Museum Guidebook''. Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio: Air Force Museum Foundation, 1975.
* United States Army Air Force. ''AN 01-60JE-2: Maintenance and Erection Instructions for Army Model P-51D-5, −10, −15, 20, −25; P-51K-1, −5, −10, −15; British Model Mustang IV Aeroplanes''. Evansville, Indiana: U.S.A.A.F, 1944.
* Wagner, Ray. ''American Combat Planes of the 20th Century''. Reno, Nevada: Jack Bacon & Company, 2004. {{ISBN|978-0-930083-17-5}}.
* Wagner, Ray. ''Mustang Designer: Edgar Schmued and the P-51''. Herndon, Virginia: Smithsonian Institution Press, 2000. {{ISBN|978-1-56098-994-3}}.
* Walker, Jeff. "Empire of the Sun." ''Air Classics'', Volume 24, Number 1, January 1988.
* White, Graham. ''Allied Aircraft Piston Engines of World War II.'' Warrendale, Pennsylvania: Society for Automotive Engineers, 1995. {{ISBN|1-56091-655-9}}.
* Wilson, Stewart, ed. "Mustang Warbirds: Civil Registered Mustangs of Australia and New Zealand Then and Now." ''Warbirds of Australia and New Zealand 2010''. St Leonards, New South Wales, Australia: Chevron Publishing Group, 2010.
* Wixey, Ken. "Magnificent Mustang: A Production History of the North American P-51." ''[[Air Enthusiast]],'' Issue 95, September/October 2001.
* Yenne, Bill: ''Rockwell: The Heritage of North American.'' New York: Crescent Books, 1989. {{ISBN|0-517-67252-9}}.
*{{cite magazine |last=Young |first=Edward |title=Counter-Air: 2nd Air Commando Group in Burma & Thailand |magazine=[[Air Enthusiast]] |date=Spring 1994 |issue=53 |pages=10–19 |issn=0143-5450}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|North American P-51 Mustang}}
* [http://www.popsci.com/archive-viewer?id=nicDAAAAMBAJ&pg=69&query=B-25 "A Fighter From the Ground Up." ''Popular Science'', July 1943, one of earliest detailed articles on P-51A] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131023061632/http://www.popsci.com/archive-viewer?id=nicDAAAAMBAJ&pg=69&query=B-25 |date=23 October 2013 }}
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=PNcDAAAAMBAJ&dq=popular+mechanics+1943+C-87&pg=PA61 "Wild Horses of the Sky," ''Popular Mechanics'', November 1943]
* [http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_fighters/p51.html Joe Baugher, North American P-51 Mustang] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723045416/http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_fighters/p51.html |date=23 July 2011 }}
* [http://ipmsstockholm.org/magazine/1999/12/stuff_eng_profile_mustang1.htm Camouflage and Markings of P-51 Mustang Parts 1–4 USAAF plus Allison engine versions RAF and Commonwealth] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120301171305/http://ipmsstockholm.org/magazine/1999/12/stuff_eng_profile_mustang1.htm |date=1 March 2012 }}
* [http://www.wwiiaircraftperformance.org/mustang/mustang-I.html Allison-powered Mustang performance test reports; 1940, 1942, 1943, 1944] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081222100322/http://www.wwiiaircraftperformance.org/mustang/mustang-I.html |date=22 December 2008 }}
* [http://www.wwiiaircraftperformance.org/mustang/mustangtest.html P-51B Mustang performance test report, May 1943] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080109090445/http://www.wwiiaircraftperformance.org/mustang/mustangtest.html |date=9 January 2008 }}
* [http://www.wwiiaircraftperformance.org/mustang/combat-reports.html P-51 combat reports] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071223155432/http://www.wwiiaircraftperformance.org/mustang/combat-reports.html |date=23 December 2007 }}
* [https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19930092575_1993092575.pdf NACA-WR-L-566 "Flying qualities and stalling characteristics of North American XP-51 airplane", April 1943. (PDF)]
* [http://www.classicwarbirds.co.uk/american-aircraft/north-american-p-51-mustang.php North American P-51 profile, photos and technical details for each mk]
* {{YouTube|id=caJtGXMdxGM|title="Flight Characteristics of the North American P-51 Mustang: How to Fly the P-51 Mustang"}}
* [http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1942/1942%20-%201598.html "Mustang Squadron"] a 1942 ''Flight'' article
* [http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1942/1942%20-%202553.html "Army Co-Op Mustang"] a 1942 ''Flight'' article
* [http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1942/1942%20-%201759.html "Unobtrusive Cleverness"] a 1942 ''Flight'' article
* [http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1944/1944%20-%200183.html "Long Range Mustang"] a 1944 ''Flight'' article
* [https://www.shorpy.com/p-51-mustang P-51 in Flight Over California (1942)]
* [https://digitalcollections.museumofflight.org/nodes/view/2799 Flight manual Mustang P-51A] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240515225208/https://digitalcollections.museumofflight.org/items/show/46308 |date=15 May 2024 }} – [https://digitalcollections.museumofflight.org/ The Museum of Flight Digital Collections]
* [https://digitalcollections.museumofflight.org/nodes/view/2885 Pilot training manual for the Mustang P-51] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241008181715/https://digitalcollections.museumofflight.org/items/show/61623 |date=8 October 2024 }} – [https://digitalcollections.museumofflight.org/ The Museum of Flight Digital Collections]

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