The P-51 Mustang earned its reputation as one of the greatest fighters of the Second World War, perhaps of all time.
The replacement of the 1,100 hp Allison V-1710-39 engine in the original design to the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine brought the Mustang into the realm of excellence. This single seat fighter plane excelled with its deadly weaponry, high speed and long range maneuverability. This combination made the Mustang unparalleled as an escort fighter, interceptor and ground attacker.
In 1947, as the US Air Force (USAF) was separated from the US Army Air Force (USAAF) and became independent, all of the USAF airplanes were renamed with the new "F-" initial from former "P-" initial so that the P-51 D Mustang got the new name of the F-51 D Mustang since then.
The F-51 D played an active part through the whole period of the Korean War air war serving in the UN forces including the USAF and the ROKAF.
