F82 Twin Mustang
The F-82 was the last propeller-driven
fighter acquired in quantity by the USAF. It appears to be two
Mustang fuselages on one wing, but in reality it was a totally
new design. Its purpose was to provide a fighter carrying a pilot
and co-pilot/navigator to reduce fatigue on long-range bomber
ecsort missions. Delivery from production did not begin until
early 1946, too late for WW II. After WW II, radar-equipped F-82s
were used quite extensively by the Air Defense Command as
replacements for the P-61 night fighter. During the Korean
Conflict, Japan-based F-82s were among the first USAF aircraft to
operate over Korea. The first three North Korean airplanes
destroyed by U.S. forces were shot down by all-weather F-82G
interceptors on June 27, 1950.
TYPE
Long-range escort fighter
| Prototype | Number built/Converted |
| XF-82 | 2 |
| XF-82A | 1 |
| F-82B | 20 |
| F-82C | 1 (cv) |
| F-82D | 1 (cv) |
| F-82E | 100 |
| F-82F | 100 |
| F-82G | 50 |
| F-82H | 14 (cv) |
Remarks
Allison powered prototype
1st Production model
Mod. F-82B; all-weather fighter
Mod. F-82B; all-weather fighter
Imp. F-82B; V-1710 powered
Imp. F-82E; all-weather fighter
Imp. F-82F
Converted -F & -Gs for cold weather ops.
SPECIFICATIONS (F-82B) Span: 51 ft. 3
in.
Length: 38 ft. 1 in.
Height: 13 ft. 8 in.
Weight: 24,800 lbs. max.
Armament: Six .50-cal. machine guns, 25
five-inch rockets, and 4,000 lbs. of bombs
Engines: Two Packard V-1650s of 1,380
hp. ea. Crew: Two
Cost: $228,000
PERFORMANCE
Maximum speed: 482 mph
Cruising speed: 280 mph
Range: 2,200 miles
Service Ceiling: 39,900 ft
F82-B, 20 produced
XF-82 First
Experimental Prototype
