Corsair Vs Mustang
During World War II, the US Army Air Forces (USAAF) employed the Mustang, one of the greatest and most famous fighters. 7,956 of the 14,855 Mustangs that the USAAF ordered between 1941 and 1945 were the “D” model. The P-51 was a long-range escort fighter and a ground attack fighter bomber that possessed exceptional range and maneuverability. The Mustang participated in the Korean War after serving in almost every combat zone during World War II.
The F4U Corsair was a high-performance fighter aircraft that could be deployed on land or aboard carriers. Armed with bomb and rocket weaponry, the main objective was to destroy hostile aircraft. The low-wing monoplane had a long fuselage ahead of the cockpit, giving it the appearance of an inverted gull. During World War II, Corsairs, one of the finest fighters in the Navy and Marine Corps, shot down 2,140 Japanese aircraft. During the Korean War, a Marine pilot became the first to down a MiG-15 jet while operating a propeller-driven aircraft.
Which was the better fighter?
Pete Feigal, Former Pro Military Artist and Aviation Expert, explains on Quora;
‘The F4U could outfly and outfight a P-51 in almost every area except range.
‘In 1944, the US Navy tested a P-51B razorback against a Corsair and a Bf 109 and Fw 190; the Corsair beat all three, although the Fw 190 did very well. (The P-51B was almost identical to the D except for lacking the extra 85-gallon internal fuel tank; it was a couple of miles faster and had the “razorback” design vs the “Bubble top.”)
‘The Corsair turned better below 25,000 feet with its 10-degree flaps, was a bit faster, and climbed significantly faster as its Pratt & Whitney air-cooled R-2800 had 800 hp more than the P-51’s V-12 liquid-cooled Merlin. Their service ceiling was about identical at 42,000 feet; the Corsair held 520 more bullets and was significantly tougher to shoot down, mostly given credit to its air-cooled engine. The Corsair was found to be easier to maintain as the R-2800 could go significantly longer without an overhaul and its ground crews didn’t have to additionally deal with a large and complicated coolant system with over a dozen gallons of coolant. The Corsair was also the far better, tougher ground attack aircraft.’
The perfect performers
Feigal concludes;
‘On the P-51B’s side, it had a range of 1350 miles (and the D had a range of 1650 miles) vs. the Corsair’s 1000 miles. And the P-51 was designed and built to perform high, where the bombers flew at 25,000 feet+, while the Corsair was designed for med/low altitude. Both were just about perfect performers for their respective theaters of operations.’
Photo by Staff Sgt. Ryan Campbell / U.S. Air National Guard
