North American P-51 Mustang

The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was a long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II and the Korean War, amongst other conflicts.  The Mustang was designed to use the Allison V-1710 engine without an export-sensitive turbo supercharger or a multi-stage supercharger, resulting in limited high-altitude performance, and the aircraft was first flown operationally and very successfully by the RAF and as a tactical-reconnaissance aircraft and fighter-bomber (Mustang Mk I. The definitive version of the Mustang, the P-51D, was powered by the Packard V-1650-7, a license-built version of the two-speed, two-stage-supercharged Merlin 66, and was armed with six .50 calibre Browning machine guns. From late 1943, P-51Bs and P-51Cs (supplemented by P-51Ds from mid-1944) were used by the USAAF's Eighth Air Force to escort bombers in raids over Germany, while the RAF's Second Tactical Air Force and the USAAF's Ninth Air Force used the Merlin-powered Mustangs as fighter-bombers, roles in which the Mustang helped ensure Allied air superiority in 1944. The P-51 was also used by Allied air forces in the North African, Mediterranean, Italian, and Pacific theatres. During World War II, Mustang pilots claimed to have destroyed 4,950 enemy aircraft, and also in the Korean War. The Airmark Modellers Guides are one stop, full colour books on a specific aircraft type, containing between 7 to 9 build projects, ideal for the enthusiast and modeller alike.