The North American A-36: The Plane That Saved the Mustang

摘要

Powered by an Allison V-12 engine that was equipped with a single-stage supercharger, the A-36 Apache was essentially an early model P-51 Mustang fitted with two dive brakes on each wing. Other modifications to the airframe included strengthening of the wings, movement of the bomb racks closer to the main landing gear for less wing "flexing" while the plane was taxiing and the installation of small vent windows in the windscreen side panels. In addition, two .50-caliber machine guns were mounted in each wing, and two were mounted in the lower nose to fire through the propeller. Naturally, the A-36 inherited the Mustang's clean aerodynamics; but why did North American turn the P-51 into a dive-bomber? To answer this question, we must look at the Mustang's origins.