North American P-51D" Mustang "
The P-51 was produced in Los Angeles, CA by North American Aviation. It was originally built for the RAF. It was designed by Raymond Lice and Edgar Schmitt. It went from planning to production in 120 days. It entered service in April of 1942. Its original role was for low level bombing and recon. Its high altitude performance was later improved by replacing its engine with the Merlin Rolls Royce engine. It was also one of the first fighters to have a laminar flow wing, which greatly reduced drag. A total of 15,586 were built. It had a Maximum speed of 437 mph, armed with 6 12.77 mm guns. it was used extensively during the Korean war.
The Republic P-47 " Thunderbolt "
The P-47 " Thunderbolt " also known as the Jug, was one of the most rugged fighters of WWII. It was produced at the Farmingdale plant in New York, Evansville, Indiana and Buffalo, New York. It was powered by a Pratt and Whitney 2,000 hp R-2800 Double Wasp 18 cylinder radial engine. It was nicknamed the Jug because it resembled a whiskey jug. A total of 12,065 P-47D's were built. Maximum speed was 426mph, service ceiling 40,000 ft, range 800 miles, weight 9,900 lbs ( empty). Armament consisted of eight 12.7mm machine guns and provisions for eight rockets and bomb loads up to 2,500 lbs.
Republic F-105D " Thunderchief "
The Republic F-105 Thunderchief was designed for a dual role as a fighter bomber. First flown in October of 1955. It was widely used during the Vietnam War. The fuselage was fitted with a rotary bomb bay capable of carrying conventional as well as nuclear bombs. Nicknaned the Thud, it was able to carry up to 14,000 lbs of bombs. Maximum speed was 1,390 mph, powerplant: Pratt $ Whittney J75-P-19W with 26,500 lbs of thrust, armament: one Vulcan M-61 rotary cannon, four AIM-9A Sidewinder missles. Its service ceiling is 50,000 ft.
