North American P-51C-10 Mustang - 'C' Variant with a Malcolm Hood & Fin Extension

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North American P-51C-10 Mustang (Late)

   Hello everybody. I’d like to suggest the North American P-51C-10 Mustang with a Malcolm Hood and dorsal fin extension. I have suggested a short-range P-51B-5 with the Malcolm Hood, and so, for this suggestion, I proposed another long-range P-51C with the Malcolm Hood as the premium aircraft for US aviation in War Thunder.

TL;DR:

A Razorback Mustang of P-51C-10 with a larger fuel capacity, Malcolm Hood, and dorsal fin extension.

History

By the spring of 1944, the majority of P-51Cs and P-51Bs were used by the US Army Air Forces’ Eighth Air Force to escort bombers in raids over Germany. The late P-51Bs and P-51Cs were fitted with an extra fuel tank behind the pilot’s seat to increase their operational range. It was a necessary change to make them the first long-range fighter to be able to escort the bombers deeper into Germany. Additionally, they were introduced with the powerful V-1650-7 Merlin, allowing them to compete with the Luftwaffe’s deadly fighters at high altitudes.

The P-51Cs would be continuously modified in the field and on the production line throughout its service with the USAAF. An instance of the famous Malcolm Hood retrofit, most American service groups of the USAAF Eighth and Ninth Air Forces acquired the British conversion kits for the P-51B/Cs to be retrofitted with the new canopy. It was a perspex canopy manufactured by the British company R Malcolm & Co, and it offered spacious headroom and improved visibility. It allowed the pilot to easily slide rearward, which was crucial to quickly bail out the aircraft, unlike the poor view and cramped hinged canopy.

The Razorback Mustangs experienced low-speed handling problems and tended to yaw in the opposite direction of a roll, which could result in a snap-roll. This was made significantly worse when fuel was added to the fuselage tank. The solution for this would take a longer time before they finally fitted the aircraft with a fin extending from its vertical stabilizer, along with adding reverse rudder boost tabs. These dorsal fin kits arrived very late and were incorporated into the late P-51Cs and the subsequent P-51Ds, as the production of them began in April 1944. They became available in August 1944. With the dorsal fin installed, the Razorback Mustang restored its directional stability and may not cause an involuntarily volatile snap-roll when approaching at a slow roll. These dorsal fin kits were a rare field modification for the P-51B/Cs to acquire them.

The razorback Mustangs also had a serious weakness in their armament that made them prone to jamming. This issue was remedied, as the modifications were made to the P-51D to improve the ammunition feed with the booster motors. These booster motors were later found and retrofitted into the P-51Bs and P-51Cs, making their guns less prone to jamming.

With the Malcolm hood, dorsal fin, and other modifications installed on the Razorback Merlin-powered Mustangs, many pilots regarded them as the best Mustang of the entire series, as they were lighter, faster, and had crisper handling than the earlier P-51D without the structural problems that affected the D variant.

1,750 P-51Cs were built at the factories in Dallas, Texas, and delivered to USAAF starting in August 1943. The production of Razorback Mustangs declined as the P-51D production began in January 1944. These Razorback Mustangs remained the predominant Mustang variant in service from December 1943 until March 1944, when the bubble-topped P-51D began to arrive. However, the Razorback Mustangs remained in service until the end of the war. Even as late as the last month of the war, 1,000 of the 2,500 Mustangs serving in Europe were the P-51B/Cs.

Specifications

North American P-51C-10 Mustang (Late)

Identical to the in-game P-51C-10 (Tuskegee)

General Characteristics

  • Crew: 1 (Pilot)
  • Length: 32 ft 3 in (9.8 m)
  • Height: 13 ft 8 in (4.16 m)
  • Span: 37 ft 0.25 in (11.28 m)
  • Wing Area: 233 sq ft (21.6 sq m)
  • Propeller Type: 4-bladed Hamilton Standard propeller
  • Propeller Diameter: 11 ft 2 in (3.4 m)
  • Powerplant: Packard V-1650-7 supercharged inline water-cooled engine
    → 1,720 hp (1,265 kW)
  • Internal Fuel: 265 gal (1,003 L)
  • Empty Weight: 7,365 lb (3,341 kg)
  • Gross Weight: 9,800 lb (4,445 kg)
  • Max. Takeoff Weight: 11,800 lb (5,352 kg)

Performance

  • Power-to-Weight Ratio: 0.17 hp/lb (0.29 kW/kg)
  • Airspeeds:
    • 361.5 mph (582 km/h) @ S.L.
    • 380 mph @ 4,000 ft (611 km/h @ 1,219 m)
    • 409 mph @ 10,300 ft (658 km/h @ 3,139 m)
    • 426 mph @ 24,000 ft (685 km/h @ 7,315 m)
  • Wing Loading: 42.06 lb/sq ft (205.3 kg/sq m)
  • Rate of Climb:
    • 4,650 fpm @ 3,500 ft (23.6 m/s @ 1,067 m)
    • 4,300 fpm @ 6,500 ft (21.8 m/s @ 1,981 m)
    • 3,830 fpm @ 9,000 ft (19.4 m/s @ 2,743 m)
    • 3,650 fpm @ 17,800 ft (18.5 m/s @ 5,425 m)
    • 3,440 fpm @ 19,000 ft (17.5 m/s @ 5,791 m)
    • 3,030 fpm @ 22,000 ft (15.4 m/s @ 6,706 m)
  • Time to Altitude:
    • 1.6 minutes to 5,000 ft (1,524 m)
    • 3.1 minutes @ 10,000 ft (3,048 m)
    • 6.9 minutes @ 20,000 ft (6,096 m)
  • Service Ceiling: 41,900 ft (12,771 m)
  • Combat Range: 955 - 1,300 miles (1,537 - 2,092 km)
  • Max. Range: 2,440 miles (3,927 km) w/ drop tanks

Armament

  • Guns:
    • 4 x 0.50-cal M2 Browning machine guns (1,260 rounds)
  • Bombs:
    • 2 x 100 lb AN-M30A1 bombs
    • 2 x 250 lb AN-M57 bombs
    • 2 x 500 lb AN-M64A1 bombs
  • Rockets:
    • 6 x M8 rocket launchers
  • Drop Tank:
    • 2 x 75 gal drop tanks
Diagrams

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Cockpit

Images

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Conclusion | Why it should be in the game

   I made this suggestion to request more World War II-era vehicles for War Thunder. As I have suggested P-51B-5 with a Malcolm Hood canopy, I would like to include the Malcolm Hood and dorsal fin extension to represent the late Razorback Mustang with field modifications for US Aviation, which the in-game P-51C lacked. The visuals of the late P-51C-10 with these field modifications are identical to the F-6C-10 from France, except it’s much lighter than the F-6C without photographic equipment.

   Performance-wise, it would perform better than the in-game P-51D-5 and the F-6C since it was lighter, faster, and had better handling. Additionally, the Malcolm Hood and dorsal fin extension would benefit sim players in the simulator battles, as it provides a wide view in their rear and steadily upholds directional stability at a slow roll or landing.

   Thus, I am fond of the P-51C with Malcolm Hood, and I think this model is a perfect candidate as either a battle pass trophy, event, premium, or squadron aircraft. The late P-51C-10 with the field modifications would be a welcoming addition to the P-51 family for the dedicated completionists.

See Also - Other P-51 Variants

Sources

Thank you for taking the time to read my suggestion! 😃

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