The North American A-36 (company designation NA-97, listed in some sources as "Apache" or "Invader", but generally called Mustang) is the ground-attack / dive bomber version of the North American P-51 Mustang, from which it could be distinguished by the presence of rectangular, slatted dive brakes above and below the wings.

Also nicknamed the "Apache” or “Invader," the A-36A dive bomber was the first US Army Air Forces version of the Mustang, officially developed for Britain in 1940. The first A-36 flew in September 1942, and North American Aviation completed production of,

2024年1月7日 · The North American A-36A was a derivative of the British Mustang I. The name ‘Apache’ was applied by North American Aviation (NAA) and never officially adopted by the USAAF. The A-36 was fitted with a 1,325hp Allison V-1710-87 engine that gave the aircraft incredible performance below 12,000 feet.

The North American A-36A Apache that carries construction number 97-15883 is displayed at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. It flew for the Army Air Force as 42-83665.

The A-36 Apache dove at speeds approaching 500 mph, and during one test, an airplane lost its wings during a dive. Powered by an Allison V-12 engine 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.

2022年9月28日 · The North American A-36 Apache (listed in some sources as "Invader", but also called Mustang) was the ground-attack/dive bomber version of the North American P-51 Mustang, from which it could be distinguished by the presence of rectangular, slatted dive brakes above and below the wings.

The Apache was the dive bomber version of the Mustang. It was used by the USAAF in North Africa, Sicily, Italy and India. This Apache is painted to represent the aircraft flown by Capt. Lawrence Dye of the 522nd FBS, 27th FG in World War II.

However, the official USAAF nickname for the North American A-36A was Apache, was seldom used. With the introduction of the North American Mustang I with the RAF Army Co-operation Squadrons in February 1942, the new fighter began combat missions as a low-altitude reconnaissance and ground-support aircraft.

The A-36A was a dive bomber developed from the Mustang I. Work on converting the new North American fighter for the attack role had begun in 1941, at a time when funding was not available for new fighter aircraft (the first Mustangs to enter American service were actually a small number of P-51s, taken from a British order after Pearl Harbor).

2023年8月9日 · In a sea of Thunderbolts and Flying Fortresses giving Axis ground targets all the hell they could handle, a specially modified P-51 airframe joined in on the fun for a time. This is the story of...