11-23-2023, 02:40 PM
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: ABQ, New Mexico
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One of the most interesting facts about the P-51 Mustang was that it wasn't originally built for the US military. It was designed to meet specifications set out by the British Royal Air Force (RAF) in the early stages of World War II. As no American aircraft were able to meet the United Kingdom's requirements, a new one needed to be developed.
For the RAF to operate an American aircraft, the British Purchasing Commission said it needed to be equipped with four 7.7 mm machine guns, cost no more than $40,000 per unit and had to be ready for delivery by January 1941 - a tight deadline. The result was designated NA-73X, before being redesignated the Mustang I, or XP-51.
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