Aviation Naval Warfare Land Systems Small Arms By Flag By Year By Tag

North American F-82 / P-82 Twin Mustang

History of the North American F-82/P-82 Twin Mustang

Although several WWII (1939-1945) airlines considered combining two airframes from existing successful aircraft lines, few projects actually came to fruition - Heinkel "Zwilling" (Dual He 111) and the North American P/F-82 "Twin Mustang" come to mind. The Twin Mustang was originally developed to meet the long-range fighter escort mission required by the Boeing B-29 Superfortress long-range high-altitude four-engine bomber.

Ultimately, the Twin Mustangs missed the fight entirely in WWII, were converted into night fighters and performed well during the Korean War (1950-1953), taking their first air kills in the conflict.

Although World War II officially began in September 1939, the United States did not formally enter the war until late 1941, after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The following year, the state was mobilized, and its vast military industry was strengthened to meet demand. The initial focus was on the European theater of operations, which allowed for simultaneous maturation of power in the Pacificthe survival of Britain and the Soviet Union was a key factor in the decline of the European Axis. As the situation on the other side of the Atlantic stabilized, U.S. attention turned to the West and Imperial Japan, whose territory now spanned the Pacific Ocean. Each stronghold was essentially supported by long stretches of open water, which would require the invaders to use substantial naval resources and manpower to force the Japanese defenders out of their stubborn positions.

Such an offensive -- through "island hopping" -- would ultimately claim the lives of millions of participants.

One of the unique challenges facing American war planners is the range required to support ground, naval and air operations. While the Boeing B-29 was designed to bomb distant targets (including Japan itself), it required escort by capable fighter jets with similar long-range qualities. Long-range mass on an aircraft requires an adequate fuel supply and multiple crew members to share the workload. In 1943, North American Airlines began developing a possible long-range escort competitor, starting with their excellent P-51 Mustang fighter. It is believed that the main qualities of the basic P-51 can be largely retained, albeit enhanced by simply combining two P-51s into one.

The modifications seemed relatively trivial, but the results were so profound that the final product was seen as an entirely new aircraft. This includes joining together the internal wing surfaces (main span and tail), concentrating weapons in the central section, a new landing gear layout, and an improved cockpit with redundant flight controls and systems.

The lead pilot will sit in the left fuselage cockpit, and the navigator/co-pilot will sit in the right fuselage cockpitthe workload is theoretically split between the two. If one engine fails in the unforgiving waters of the Pacific Ocean, having two engines is fail-safe.

With this in mind, the North American NA-120 proposal emerged, which was approved by the United States Army Air Force (USAAF) on January 7, 1944, producing two prototypes (serial numbers 44-83886 and MX-485) to test the feasibility of the project. North American workers named their unique concept "twins."

The prototypes were collectively referred to as "XP-82" and the powerplant became the Packard series inline piston engine, a licensed production version of the Rolls-Royce Merlin Vs in the UK. This engine has proven to be exhilarating and offers two coupled units that double the power.

Since each unit drives its own propeller assembly, the "torque" (the natural pull of the airframe in one direction caused by the spinning propeller blades) is counteracted by distributing the rotation of the other propeller in the opposite direction. Each engine drives a four-bladed propeller.

The XP-82 had a number of changes from the original P-51 fuselage: each fuselage was lengthened by 57 inches aft of the air intake, a strut was added along the belly seam, and the height of each rudder was Added. The chassis has been completely repainted to accommodate the repositioned center of gravity as well as the revised dimensions. The single-wheel main landing gear legs are now located below the mass of each fuselage nacelle (at the point where the wing elements meet the fuselage).

The units are withdrawn inwards to the centerline. Each tail has a single-wheel tail strut, which retains the "nose-up" appearance of the original P-51 when the aircraft is stationary. In addition to the central section of the main wing connecting the two fuselages, a new horizontal stabilizer was designed and a new horizontal stabilizer was added between the two tail wings to complete the XP-82's appearance.

The outboard portion of the main wing span is equipped with ordnance and fuel mounts as well as de-icing technology. The mid-wing section holds the flaps.

For standard armament, it was decided to concentrate 6x.50 caliber Browning heavy machine guns on the central link span. The original P-51 fighter had three of these machine guns on the leading edge of each wing.

On the XP-82, the outboard cannons were omitted entirely, and the three inboard triads were combined into a six-gun battery. Also added support for conventionally dropped bombs and rockets, as well as the installation of disposable fuel tanks.

In March 1944, the US Air Force awarded North America a formal production contract covering the "P-82B" variant. This form differs slightly from the prototype as it contains a central under-mounted machine gun pod that houses the 8x.50 caliber heavy machine gun.

In addition, four underwing hardpoints were requisitioned to transport ordnance or fuel supplies. The combined firepower of this development was enormous, including no less than 14 machine guns capable of dropping 4 x 1,000 pounds on ground targets. Ground attack missions may require as many as 10 x 5 inches HVAR (High Speed ??Aircraft Rocket) high-explosive air-to-surface missiles.

Conventional arms transport capacity up to 4,000 pounds of external storage. The USAF commissioned 500 while the war was still raging.

The F-82B is powered by two Packard V-1650 inline 1,380 hp engines. Top speed is 482 mph and cruising speed is 280 mph. The range is 2,200 miles, giving the crew a good range, while the maximum limit is 39,000 feet.

Dimensionally, the F-82B has a barrel length of 38 feet, a wingspan of 51 feet 3 inches, and a height of 13 feet 8 inches. Maximum takeoff weight is 24,800 lbs.

The original XP-82 prototype was first tested on April 15, 1945 with a 1,380 hp V1650-11/12 engine (albeit in the same direction of rotation), but failed to take off. After she lost some weight, the plane took off for the first time on June 16.

The Mustang Evolution proved reliable while retaining most of its handling. The second, still incomplete XP-82 completed flight on August 30 (only the original XP-82 was officially completed). The USAF liked what they had and continued to push the program, resulting in the "XP-82A", the third prototype (serial number 44-83888) is now equipped with a 1,500 hp Allison V-1710-119 engine, if The British took away Packard's production rights to Merlin.

A second XP-82A followed (s/n 83889), with both A-models equipped with 119-series engines.

The war in Europe ended in May 1945, followed by Japan in August. Its completion slowed the progress of many ongoing military programs, while many others came to an immediate halt as postwar drawdowns began. The twin Mustang effort was threatened as an initial order of 500 F-82Bs was drastically reduced to 20.

History aside, with the advent of the jet age (the U.S. Air Force officially became the U.S. Air Force in 1947), the F-82 became the last propeller fighter aircraft purchased by the U.S. Air Force (USAF).

At this time, the Northrop P-61 Black Widow Night Fighter was being retired, which provided savings for further development of the Twin Mustang. A pair of P-82Bs were selected for conversion into night fighter roles, these became the "P-82C" and "P-82D". The main difference between these brackets is the choice of mounted radar system: the C model receives the SCR720 series radar system, while the D model receives the APS-4 series system (a pod mounted under the central wing section).

Both airframes are given a proper black finish.

Work on other P-82s continued: the P-82E became an all-weather fighter, 100 of which were produced. The P-82F became a dedicated night fighter, equipped with an APS-4 radar, and 100 were also produced. The P-82G appeared in 50 examples and was equipped with the SCR720 radar.

This became the final Twin Mustang in production form. All aircraft were built at the North American factory in Inglewood, California, with the last aircraft rolling off the production line in March 1949. A total of 273 P-82/F-82 were produced

Korean War

Air Defense Command adopted radar-equipped F-82G night fighters (all "P" fighters were renamed "F"), and by the time of the Korean War (1950-1953), fighters stationed in the Far East were among them One of the first American battle groups to respond to North Korea's invasion of the South. The P-82G scored the first three airstrikes of the Korean War on June 27, 1950.

During the conflict, the F-82 used its impressive machine gun fire to bomb hapless North Korean troops and convoys, while missiles repelled devastating attacks on critical positions and infrastructure. Its bomb load is aimed at more precise targets, adding another tool to the powerful machine's arsenal. The arrival of a new generation of fighter jets that marked the end of the F-82 over South Korea was equally good at ground attack.

As more jets are added to U.S. inventories, F-82 usage has dwindled and is further limited by a general shortage of spare parts. After the Korean War, the remaining P-82G models were handed over to Alaska Air Command to defend the North from a possible Soviet invasion or patrol attack.

These mounts have been modified for use in cold weather.

The record holder from Hawaii to New York: "Betty-Jo"

An F-82B was awarded the Longest Nonstop Flight of a Piston/Propane Military Fighter Fighter for 5,051 miles in 14 hours 33 minutes by "Betty-Jo" (No. 44-65168) February 27, 1947 - Flying from Hickamfield, Hawaii to New York on the 28th. Equipped with four oversized 310-gallon throwable fuel tanks, the plane hits an average speed of 334 mph. Her flight dynamics were hampered a bit when her three fuel tanks refused to release. "Betty Joe" - named after the pilot's lieutenant's wife.

Colonel Robert Thacker - Now a museum exhibit at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio. Thacker was killed by the co-pilot Lieutenant during the record-breaking flight. Supported by John Arder.