Subject: Number Eighty-Two in the Series--North American P-82 Twin Mustang (2 of 2)

From: [email-masked]
Date: 13 Jul 93 16:21:58 GMT

>From [email-masked]

The third Twin Mustang prototype, the XP-82A, had been fitted with a 
pair of Allison V-1710-119 engines of 1500 hp each, driving propellers 
rotating in the same direction.  The serial number was 44-83888.  This 
brought the Mustang design full circle.  At first sight, it seems 
difficult to understand just WHY the USAAF would ever want to go back 
to the Allison engine, when the Merlin engine worked so well.  
However, it was feared that the end of the war would result in the 
termination of Merlin engine production by the Packard Motor Car 
Company, and the Allison engine was the only reasonable substitute.  
This is what actually happened, and all the remaining production Twin 
Mustangs ended up being powered by these Allison engines.  

In order to cover the period which elapsed before the first jet 
fighter aircraft could be available, on October 10, 1946 the USAAF 
ordered a hundred P-82Es, the production version of the XP-82A.  
Serials were 46-255/357 Power was applied by a pair of supercharged 
Allison V-1710-143/145 engines rated at 1600 hp each.  Unlike the 
early V-1710s that powered the P-39 Airacobra and the P-40 Warhawk, 
these engines were cleared to 3200 rpm for takeoff, where the rating 
was 1600 hp.  With water-alcohol injection, maximum power output was 
1930 hp at sea level and 1700 hp at 21,000 feet.  As the dual 
designation implied, these engines were handed, with the -143 engine 
being mounted in the left fuselage, the -145 engine in the right 
fuselage.  The propeller blades moved apart at the top.  

The first P-82E flew on February 17, 1947.  Maximum speed of the P-82E 
was 465 mph at 21,000 feet.  Normal range was 2504 miles, with maximum 
range being 2708 miles.  Service ceiling was 40,000 feet, and the 
initial climb rate was 4020 feet per minute.  
Weights were 14,914 pounds empty and 24,864 pounds maximum.  
Dimensions were wingspan 51 feet 3 inches, length 38 feet 1 inches, 
height 13 feet 10 inches, and wing area of 408 square feet.  

Also ordered were 91 examples of the P-82F (Model NA-149), a 
night-fighter version with an APS-4 or APG-28 radar set installed in a 
large bulbous pod mounted underneath the central wing in such a way 
that it protruded beyond the forward edge of the propeller spinners.  
The starboard cockpit was modified to carry a radar operator's 
position The armament consisted of six 0.50-inch machine guns mounted 
in the center wing just above the radar set.  Serials were 46-405/495.  

The first P-82F flew on March 11, 1948.  Surprisingly, the additional 
weight and aerodynamic drag caused by the large radar pod had only a 
slight degrading effect on performance.  Maximum speed of the P-82F 
dropped only five mph to 460 mph at 21,000 feet.  Normal range was 
2200 miles, with maximum range being 2400 miles.  Service ceiling was 
38,500 feet, and the initial climb rate was 3690 feet per minute.  
Weights were 16,309 pounds empty and 26,208 pounds maximum.  
Dimensions were wingspan 51 feet 3 inches, length 42 feet 2 inches, 
height 13 feet 10 inches, and wing area of 408 square feet.  

59 examples of the P-82G (Model NA-150) were also ordered.  The P-82G 
was basically similar to the P-82F, but had a SCR-720C radar set.  
Serial numbers were 46-496/504 and 46-355/404.  Nine planes originally 
ordered as P-82Fs were completed to the standards of the P-82G.  The 
SCR-720C radar set was somewhat lighter than the APS-4 or APG-28 radar 
of the P-82F, so the P-82G had a slightly better performance.  Maximum 
speed of the P-82G was 461 mph at 21,000 feet.  Normal range was 2240 
miles, with maximum range being 2495 miles.  Service ceiling was 
38,900 feet, and the initial climb rate was 3770 feet per minute.  
Weights were 15,997 pounds empty and 25,891 pounds maximum.  
Dimensions were wingspan 51 feet 3 inches, length 42 feet 5 inches, 
height 13 feet 10 inches, and wing area of 408 square feet.  

Five P-82Gs and nine P-82Fs were modified for cold-weather usage in 
Alaska.  They were redesignated P-82H.  Serials were 46-384/388 and 
46-496/504.  

The first Twin Mustangs began to reach the squadrons during 1948.  In 
June of that year, the P-designation was changed to F, and the Twin 
Mustang became F-82 rather than P-82.  The F-82E entered service in 
the long-range bomber escort role with the 27th Fighter Group (522nd, 
523rd, and 524th Squadrons) of the Strategic Air Command.  They spent 
their brief life flying alongside B-29s, and were replaced by jets in 
1950.  

In 1948, the F and G night-fighter versions of the Twin Mustang began 
to replace the Northrop F-61 Black Widow in service with the Air 
Defense Command.  They were painted all-black and had flame-damped 
exhausts.  The first Air Defense Command unit to take delivery of the 
F-82F was the 325th Fighter Group (317th, 318th, and 319th Squadrons) 
based at both Hamilton Field, California and McChord AFB, Washington, 
the 51st Fighter Group (16th, 25th, and 26th Squadrons) and the 52nd 
Fighter Group (2nd and 5th Squadrons) based at Mitchel AFB and McGuire 
AFB, New Jersey.  In 1949, the 347th Fighter Group (4th, 68th, and 
339th Squadrons) stationed in Japan received F-82Gs.  The 449th 
Squadron of the 5001st Composite Group based at Ladd AFB in Alaska 
received the "cold-weather F-82Hs.  

By the middle of 1949, the Twin Mustang was in widespread service, 
some 225 E, F, and G models being on strength.  It was anticipated 
that the service life of the Twin Mustang would be relatively brief, 
since the F-82 was seen as only an interim type, filling in the gap 
only until adequate numbers of jet fighters could be made available.  
In 1950, some units based in the USA were already beginning to replace 
their Twin Mustangs with jets.  

On June 25, 1950, the Korean War broke out.  The Twin Mustangs based 
in Japan were immediately thrown into combat to stem the North Korean 
advance.  They were the only fighter aircraft available with the range 
to cover the entire Korean peninsula from bases in Japan.  On June 27, 
1950, an F-82G (46-382) of the 68th Fighter Squadron of the 347th 
Fighter Group flown by Lieut. William Hudson (pilot) and Lieut. Carl 
Fraser (radar operator) shot down a North Korean Yak-7U.  This was the 
first air-to-air kill of the Korean War, and, incidentally, the first 
aerial victory by the newly-formed United States Air Force.  Later 
that same day, an F-82G (46-392) flown by Major James Little of the 
339th Fighter Squadron of the 347th Fighter Group shot down a North 
Korean Yak-9.  

The Twin Mustang saw extensive service in Korea until November of 
1951, serving in both escort and ground attack roles.  However, the 
F-82 played a secondary role as compared with its distinguished 
predecessor, the single-engined F-51.  As more jets became available, 
the F-82s were withdrawn from combat and phased out of service.  

The last Twin Mustang was retired from service in mid-1953.  F-82E 
serial number 46-262 is on display at Lackland AFB.  

Sources: 

  Classic Warplanes: North American P-51 Mustang, Bill Gunston, Gallery 
  Books, 1990.  

  Fighters of the United States Air Force, Robert F.  Dorr and David 
  Donald, Temple Press Aerospace, 1990.  

  The American Fighter, Enzo Angelucci and Peter Bowers, Orion, 1987.  

  War Planes of the Second World War, Fighters, Volume 4, William Green, 
  Doubleday 1964.  

  American Combat Planes, Third Enlarged Edition, Ray Wagner, Doubleday, 
  1982.  

  United States Military Aircraft Since 1909, Gordon Swanborough and 
  Peter M. Bowers, Smithsonian, 1989.  

Joe Baugher		AT&T Bell Laboratories   	
2000 North Naperville Road      Naperville, Illinois 60566-7033