F-82 Twin Mustang

The North American F-82 Twin Mustang was a long-range escort fighter and night fighter. It consisted of two fuselages, based on the P-51H Mustang, mounted on a newly-designed wing. It retained both cockpits and both pilots could fly the aircraft. It first flew in 1945 but did not see service during World War II.

F-82 Twin Mustang in flight

The first two prototypes had Packard built Merlin engines like most P-51s. The third protoype and subsequent production models used Allison V-1710 engines. The production F-82s had contra-rotating propellers.

While originally intended as an escort fighter (B and E variants), the F-82 also saw service as a night fighter equipped with either APS-4 (D and F variants) or SCR-720 (C and G variants) radar. It was a night fighter Twin Mustang that shot down the first MiG-15 jet to be destroyed by an American fighter during the Korean War.

The last flying P-82 stalled and crashed in Harlingen Texas in 1987. That aircraft and one other are currently being restored to flying condition.

Specifications

General Characteristics

Crew: 2
Length: 42 ft 9 in (12.93 m)
Wingspan: 51 ft 3 in (15.62 m)
Height: 13 ft 10 in (4.22 m)
Wing area: 408 ft² (37.90 m²)
Empty: 15,997 lb (7,271 kg)
Loaded: lb ( kg)
Maximum takeoff: 25,591 lb (11,632 kg)
Powerplant: 2x Allison V-1710-143/145, 1,600 hp (1,193 kW) each

Performance

Maximum speed: 461 mph (742 km/h) @ 21,000 ft
Combat Range: 2,250 miles (3,605 km)
Service ceiling: 38,900 ft (11,855 m)
Rate of climb: ft/min ( m/min)
Power/Mass: hp/lb ( kW/kg)

Armament

6x .50 Browning M2 machine guns
4,000 lb (907 kg) of bombs

Sources

The Concise Guide to American Aircraft of World War II by David Mondey, Chartwell Books, Inc., 1994.