Chris Alexander wrote:
>
> Both the Tempest and Typhoon are different aircraft.
>
> The substitution of the Merlin for the Allison occured somewhere around the
> tail end of the A variant (i.e. late P-51A) - or was it beginning of the B?
>
> |
> | Hi All,
> | Didn't the British rebadge it in the east as the typhoon or am
> | I thinking of
> | something completely different?
Testing of the Merlin engine in the P-51 was begun in April 1942 with 4 planes
retrofitted with the engine. (serial numbers AM203, AM208, AL963 and
AL975) These were made specifically for British testing. The concept was also
recognized as worthwhile by the USAAF and they installed Packard built
Merlins in two of their own planes for testing July 25, 1942.
The first flight of one of these Merlin equipped Mustangs was on Oct. 13, 1942
by the RAF. The American tests began a month later. Results were
outstanding and convinced the powers that be of the worthiness of the engine as
the preferred power plant. The first orders for the Merlin based
Mustang were by the USAAF (2000 planes). They were the P-51B. Some were the
reconnaissance variation of the plane.
Joe
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