F 51 Mustangs Over Korea USAF and South African Air Force
Here s some great U. S. Air Force film from the Korean War, depicting pistonengine Mustangs in service. The North American Aviation P51 Mustang fighter of World War II was a winner. It boasted 400mileanhourplus speeds, great range, and the ability to carry various ordnance under its wings. In 1950, and by now redesignated the F51, Mustangs were available when urgently needed to combat North Korean aggression. The Air Force had an abundance of many warplanes with the end of World War II. The decision was made to keep some Mustangs in service while drawing down other fighters like the P38 and P47 in the postwar world. For Korea, Mustangs were less likely to be airtoair combatants in a world quickly dominated by jets. And efforts to use F51s on night interdiction sorties proved less than desirable as the muzzle flash from six wingmounted. 50caliber machine guns was temporarily blinding to pilots. Because the Air Force used bases in Japan early in the Korean War for some fighters,
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