North American F-82 Twin Mustang
Photo from USAF Museum
The P-82 (F-82 after 1948) was developed as a long range escort fighter for strategic bombers, it was also the last piston engined fighter aircraft aquired by the USAF. The F-82 was designed with two crew members to reduce fatigue on long flights. At first glance the F-82 resembles two P-51 Mustang fuselages on one wing. It is in fact an entirely new airframe. The P-82 arrived in early 1946, too late for WWII. Radar equiped Twin Mustangs supplemented and replaced P-61 Black Widow night fighter with the Air Defence Command. Twin Mustangs out of Japan were among the first United Nations fighters arrive in the Korean theater. The first three North Korean aircraft downed by the UN were shot down by F-82G Interceptors on June 27, 1950. In 1947 an F-82B made the longest ever non-stop flight by a piston engined fighter on February 27-28 from New York to Hawaii, a total of 5 051 miles.
Specifications
(Data for F-82B)
Origin: North American Aviaiton
Type: Long Range Escort Fighter
Crew: Pilot & Co-Pilot/Navigator
Powerplant: Two Packard V-1650s of 1,380 hp. ea.
Dimensions
Span: 51 ft. 3 in.
Height: 13 ft. 8 in.
Length: 38 ft. 1 in.
Weight: 11 160 kg max.
Performance
Maximum Speed: 771 kph
Cruising Speed: 448 kph
Climb Rate:
Range: 3 520 km
Service Ceiling: 11 700 m
Armament
6x 12.5mm machine gun & 25x five-inch rocket & 1 816 kg of bombs
First Flight: 1945?
User(s): RETIRED
Production: 273 (20 -B)
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