Why Was The Mustang Better Than The Spitfire?

Summary. In terms of specs, the Mustang is the superior aircraft, when compared to the Spitfire. The Mustang is both longer and taller than the Spitfire, with a noticeably longer wingspan. The Mustang was also much quicker than the Spitfire, with a much longer combat range.

What was the better plane Mustang or Spitfire?

In most cases, the Spitfire had better performance as an all-purpose fighter. The all-important climb rate for a P51D sat at 3200ft per minute whilst the Spitfire could climb at an impressive 3650ft per minute. The maximum speed of a P51D was 437mph whilst the Spitfire was slightly faster at 448mph.

Why did the Mustang have a greater range than the Spitfire?

Put simply, the Mustang flew far further because it carried much more fuel and had less drag. This article will concentrate on fuel load but the drag difference is worth addressing briefly. At the same throttle setting, a Merlin Mustang would fly 30 mph faster than a Merlin Spitfire of equal power.

Was the Mustang best plane in ww2?

The sleek P-51 Mustang is perhaps the best all-around fighter of World War II. In 1939, British officials approached North American Aviation in desperate need of additional aircraft for the war in Europe. Just 117 days after the order was placed, the first P-51 was rolled out of the factory.

Why was the P-51 Mustang so good?

Their design, dubbed Mustang by the British, had a low-drag laminar-flow wing and an efficient low-drag engine cooling system that gave it exceptional speed and range. It had a maximum speed of about 390 miles (630 km) per hour and a combat range of roughly 750 miles (1,200 km).

Which ww2 plane was the best?

The most capable fighter of WWII was the American F4U-4 Corsair carrier-based fighter-bomber, designed and produced by Chance Vought. Between 1942 and 1953 more than 12,500 aircraft were manufactured. The fighter combined good maneuverability, very dangerous armament (six .

Did a Spitfire ever fight a zero?

RAAF, & I think RAF, Spitfires fought the Zero over northern Australia, e.g. at Darwin, & RAF & RIAF Spitfires fought the Zero in NE India & Burma. Initially, the Spitfires performed poorly. Their pilots were accustomed to being able to dogfight successfully, & it was unwise to engage in turning fights with Zeroes.

What was the fastest plane in ww2?

Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet
Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet
The fastest aircraft to see any combat in WWII was the Messerschmitt Me 163, which set an airspeed record of 702 mph in 1944 (although this record was not recognized by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale due to its secrecy during the war).

How many kills did the Mustang have?

Mustang pilots were up to the challenge: they destroyed nearly 5,000 enemy aircraft in World War II.

What was Japan best fighter plane in ww2?

The Ki-84 is generally considered the best Japanese fighter to operate in large numbers during the conflict. The aircraft boasted high speed and excellent maneuverability with an armament (up to two 30 mm and two 20 mm cannon) that gave it formidable firepower.

What plane was most feared in ww2?

Junkers Ju87 Widely known as the “Stuka”, the Ju87 was one of the most feared aircraft during World War Two. It had a fearsome siren which terrified those who heard it.

What plane did German pilots fear the most?

They called it a ‘fork-tailed devil. ‘ Key point: The P-38 was a forerunner of modern multi-role fighters.

What is the best war plane ever?

The 18 greatest fighter aircraft of all time

• F6F Hellcat.
• F-4U Corsair.
• MiG-15.
• F-86 Sabre.
• F-4 Phantom.
• MiG-21.
• F-14 Tomcat.
• F-15 Eagle. Eagles made dogfighting history during Operation Desert Storm, primarily because of their superior weapons suite, including state-of-the-art (at the time) identification capability.

What was the weakest WW2 plane?

The product of an ambitious designer and a doomed regime, the Bachem Ba 349 Natter was a radical idea that almost worked. In 1945 Austria, after the German surrender, a U.S. engineer lifts the hinged canopy of a captured Bachem Ba 349 to take a look inside the cockpit.

What was the weirdest plane in WW2?

Nowhere was this more clear than in the skies of World War II, where intrepid aerospace designers dreamed up some of the most bizarre aircraft in history.

• 10Blohm & Voss BV 141.
• 9Horten Ho 229.
• 8Vought V-173/XF5U-1.
• 7Boulton Paul Defiant.
• 6Bell YFM-1 Airacuda.
• 5Antonov A-40.
• 4Junkers Ju-287.
• 3Cornelius XFG-1.

Which aircraft had the most kills in WW2?

Which Allied Fighter scored the most victories in World War Two? I believe I know the answer

Who was the deadliest pilot in ww2?

Erich Hartmann
While serving in Germany’s Luftwaffe in World War II, Erich Hartmann flew more than 1,400 missions in the Messerschmitt Bf 109, enabling him to score an astonishing 352 kills. How did Hartmann get so good at dominating the skies over the Eastern Front?

What were Spitfires weaknesses?

The big weakness was a propensity for the engine to cut out during a dive, which was ironed out in 1941. Its other weakness was a lack of stability in its base (again later corrected), which made it unsuitable for flight off aircraft carriers, as it tended to overshoot.

Did a Spitfire shoot down a jet?

Production was slow at first, but by September 1940 it was in service with 18 RAF squadrons. Spitfires shot down a total of 529 enemy aircraft, for a loss of 230 of their own.

Who had the fastest tanks in WW2?

The American M18 Hellcat Was The Fastest and The Deadliest Allied Tank Destroyer In WW2

• M18 Hellcat of the 824th Tank Destroyer Battalion in action at Wiesloch, Germany, April 1945.
• M-39 Carrier Variant in Korea.
• Armored Utility Vehicle M39 in Korea, 1952.

What was the heaviest plane in WW2?

The Messerschmitt Me 323 Gigant (“Giant”) was a German military transport aircraft of World War II. It was a powered variant of the Me 321 military glider and was the largest land-based transport aircraft to fly during the war.