General info for P-51D-30

• Country USA
• Vehicle role Fighter
• Rank 4

• Battle rating in
  • arcade battles 4.7
  • realistic battles 5
  • simulator battles 5.3

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Wiki info about P-51D-30

Official War Thunder wiki

A single-seat all-metal cantilever monoplane fighter with a single engine, closed cockpit and retractable landing gear. The P-51D model Mustangs lacked one of the main flaws of the P-51B and P-51C models – poor visibility from the cockpit, particularly to the rear. The P-51D fighters received a new drop-shaped cockpit canopy without bracing, providing a perfect 360° view. Over time, the German Luftwaffe's resistance became weaker. Sightings of enemy planes in the sky grew rarer and rarer. This influenced the Mustang's continued evolution. Model P-51D aircraft were no longer painted – camouflage on the ground and in the air came to be considered excessive. The fighters now gleamed with polish metal. Its weight had decreased slightly, and its aerodynamics improved. On average, this resulted in a small addition to its speed. Mustangs then began to attack ground targets more often than air targets. They received rocket equipment to increase their efficiency as fighter-bombers and attack aircraft. The P-51D-30 could carry a “cluster” of three “tubes” – directional M10s, M14s or M15s for launching unguided M8 rockets. In place of these, it could also carry clips for the suspension of unguided 127 mm HVAR rockets. The P-51D was able to carry up to six heavy rockets along with suspended fuel tanks, and up to ten rockets without them. The aircraft's rocket armament significantly increased its ability to damage small moving targets. The P-51D became the most mass-produced Mustang model, a symbol of American aviation and one of the best fighters of World War II. In total, 8,156 of them were built. Apart from the RAF and USAAF, the P-51 was in service with France, China, Australia and the Netherlands during World War II. The P-51D remained in service with the USAAF for many years after World War II. In 1948, the USAF, newly formed as a separate type of army, abolished the letter “P” (“pursuit”) as a designation for fighter and replaced it with the letter “F” (“fighter”). The designation P-51 changed to F-51 accordingly.