<p>The Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during WWII, the Korean War and other conflicts.
</p><p>Built by North American Aviation in 1940 it was first flown operationally by the RAF as a tactical-reconnaissance aircraft and fighter-bomber. It was powered by the Packard V-1650-7, a license-built version of the Rolls-Royce Merlin 60 series two-stage two-speed supercharged engine, and armed with six .50 caliber (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns.
</p><p>The P-51 was also in service with Allied air forces in the North African, Mediterranean and Italian theatres, and saw limited service against the Japanese in the Pacific War. During WWII, Mustang pilots claimed 4,950 enemy aircraft shot down.
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At the start of the Korean War, the Mustang was the main fighter of the United Nations, it then became a specialized fighter-bomber. The Mustang remained in service with some air forces until the early 1980s. After World War II and the Korean War, many Mustangs were converted for civilian use, especially air racing, and increasingly, preserved and flown as historic warbird aircraft at airshows.
<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.flickr.com/people/88123769@N02">Bernard Spragg. NZ</a> from Christchurch, New Zealand
<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/volvob12b/13975274261/">North American Aviation P51-D Mustang</a>