What made the P-51 so good?

The Mustang, with its high speed, long-range, low-cost, and six . 50 caliber M2 Browning machine guns, made it the ideal fighter for the job. The P-51 dominated air combat in Europe, destroying nearly 5,000 enemy aircraft. It was also a very capable fighter-bomber and could carry 1,000 pounds of bombs and rockets.

Was the P-51 fuel injected?

Fuel-injection allowed many a Messerschmitt Bf 109 pilot to escape a Spitfire on its tail and return to fight another day. The -3 engine supercharger cut-in at 19,000 feet, and the -7, between 14,500 and 19,000 feet….

What engine did the P-51 have?

Merlin
The definitive version, the P-51D, was powered by the Packard V-1650-7, a license-built version of the two-speed, two-stage-supercharged Merlin 66, and was armed with six .50 caliber (12.7 mm) AN/M2 Browning machine guns.

Why was the Merlin engine so good?

But well-designed liquid-cooled engines like the Merlin could run for long periods beyond normal operational limits without overheating, as liquid cooling is more efficient than air cooling, particularly for the cylinder head and valves. And they could operate at higher altitudes, reducing risk from anti-aircraft fire.

What was the best fighter in WWII?

The number 1 is no surprise: the North American P-51 Mustang. Often and usually considered the best fighter of the war, the P-51 was a game-changer for Allied forces. Employed as a long-range bomber escort, the P-51 was unmatched by German planes, especially at high altitudes.

What was the fastest WW2 fighter plane?

Messerschmitt Me 262
With a top speed of 540 mph, Germany’s Messerschmitt Me 262 was by far the fastest fighter of World War II. It was powered by jet engines, a new technology that was not always reliable.

How much is a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine worth?

If you had to put a monetary value on the Rolls-Royce Merlin it cost £2,000 in 1940 which translates to about £110,000 today. If you had to buy a Merlin today, auctioneers Sotheby’s sold one for £44,000 ($57,000) in 2019.

Who uses Rolls Royce engines?

Our customers include governments and world-leading corporations. Our defence aerospace operation, based in Bristol, powers the RAF’s Eurofighter Typhoon and Airbus A400M aircraft. Also built in Bristol, our MT30 engine powers the Royal Navy’s Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carrier and the Type 26 frigates.

What kind of engine does a Ki-100 have?

The Kawasaki Ki-100 was a fighter-interceptor aircraft used by the Imperial Japanese Army in World War II. The Japanese Army designation was “Type 5 Fighter”. The German licensed engine DB.601a produced in Japan under the brand name Ha.40 (“Hatsudoki” – in Japanese engine) unfortunately turned out to be unreliable.

Was the Ki-61 the best fighter ever?

In mid-1944, the Ki-61 was one of the best fighters of the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service. It was also the only production Japanese fighter to have an inline powerplant, the V-12 Kawasaki Ha-40, a Japanese adaptation of the German Daimler-Benz DB 601 engine, as well as one of the first with factory-installed armor and self-sealing fuel tanks.

What is the difference between the Ki-100 and Ki-61?

The Ki-100 was a stressed-skin cantilever low-wing single-seat enclosed-cockpit radial engine monoplane fighter with retractable undercarriage. Control surfaces were fabric covered. In mid-1944, the Ki-61 was one of the best fighters of the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service.

What was the Ki-100 like in 1945?

Although its maximum speed in level flight was a bit slow for 1945, the Ki-100 could dive with North American P-51 Mustangs and maintain speed after pullout, unlike most Japanese fighters.