North American F-82 Twin Mustang
North American Aviation · United States · first flew 1945 · fighter
The F-82 Twin Mustang joined two elongated P-51 Mustang fuselages onto a single wing, creating a long-range escort fighter for the closing stages of the Pacific war.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Low-mounted, tapered |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 2 × piston, nose-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Two complete P-51 Mustang-style fuselages joined by a common center wing and tailplane |
| T — Tail | Twin fin |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Two complete P-51 Mustang-style fuselages joined by a common center wing and tailplane
- Twin canopies, one per fuselage
- A radar or weapons pod sometimes slung under the center wing section
Unmistakable: two complete Mustang-style fuselages side by side under one wing, unlike any twin-boom fighter of the era.
Specifications
- The North American F-82 Twin Mustang has a length of 12.93 m (42 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 15.62 m (51 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 742 km/h (461 mph).
- Typical crew: 2 (one per fuselage).
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
First flown in 1945, it arrived too late for WWII combat but became the USAF's primary long-range piston escort and all-weather interceptor into the early 1950s, famously scoring the first US aerial victories of the Korean War in June 1950.
Variants
Day-fighter escort versions carried a second pilot for long missions, while radar-equipped night-fighter variants added a radar operator in the second fuselage and a centreline radar pod.
Where you'll see it
It was retired from frontline US service by the mid-1950s as jets took over and never served with the RAF or other European air arms, so surviving examples are found only in American museum collections today.
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