P-51 Mustang vs Spitfire: Which Was The Best?

During WWII, both the North American P-51 Mustang and the Supermarine Spitfire dominated the skies over Europe. Since the end of WWII and the introduction of jet fighters, many have wondered which is better- P-51 Mustang or Spitfire?

Both the Mustang and the Spitfire are icons in their own right. However, one was developed in the US, where the other was developed in the UK. As such, they never fought one another,

P-51 Mustang vs Spitfire: The Basics

Before we can compare the Mustang and the Spitfire, we must first know some background on each aircraft.

P-51 Mustang

The P-51 Mustang was originally designed for the RAF. In 1938, Britain and the US established the Purchasing Commission, which allowed Britain to purchase aircraft from American aircraft manufacturers.

Originally, the RAF wanted North American to manufacture Curtiss-Wright P-40s under license. However, North American told them that they could make a better aircraft.

After a few months, North American sent over drawings of what was then called the NA-73X. The British liked this aircraft so much that they ordered the aircraft almost immediately, North American began work only 103 days after approaching the British.

The NA-73X first flew on October 24 1940. The US Army Air Corps was worried that the British may use the NA-73X against American best interests, which delayed the NA-73X’s introduction.

As a part of this, North American sent the USAAC two NA-73Xs to test them. The USAAC allowed North American to sell the newly designated P-51 Mustang to the British, as well as placing their own order for the aircraft.

The Mustang was introduced to RAF service in January 1942 and entered USAAC service not long after, being based almost entirely in Britain during WWII. Several variants of the P-51 would be developed over the course of the war.

Spitfire

In the 1930’s, with the advancement in wing designs, the need for a biplane configuration was seemingly not the peak of aircraft design. As such, the RAF began looking for a replacement aircraft.

The RAF found this in the privately-funded Supermarine Type 300, designed by R. J. Mitchell. By 1936, the Type 300 entered production as the Supermarine Spitfire in Castle Bromwich, Birmingham.

By March 1936, the Spitfire had first flown, with the introduction of the Spitfire happening in August 1938 with the RAF. Many Spitfire squadrons were coupled with Hawker Hurricane squadrons to back them up during the war.

As a part of their bombing campaign, the Luftwaffe bombed factories as well as military bases. Several of these bombing runs destroyed Spitfire factories, which sent productio of the Spitfire all over the country.

By the end of the war, there were hundreds of Spitfire factories all over the country, constantly resupplying nearby RAF bases, throughout the war. Many of these factories were subsequently shut down.

Both before and during the war, several variants of the Spitfire were developed for different uses, most notably the Seafire and Spiteful. Over 20,000 Spitfires were produced between 1938 and 1948.

P-51 Mustang vs Spitfire: Specs

Throughout and after the war, several variants of both the P-51 Mustang and the Spitfire were developed. As such, we will compare the specifications of the two most common variants of the Mustang and Spitfire.

The most common variant of the P-51 Mustang is the P-51D, previously in service with the RAAF, SAAF and USAF. The most common variant of the Spitfire is the Spitfire Mk VB, previously in service with the RAAF, SAAF and RAF.

Specifications	P-51D Mustang	Spitfire Mk VB
Height	13 ft 4.5 in (4.08 m)	11 ft 5 in (3.48 m)
Wingspan	37 ft 0 in (11.28 m)	36 ft 10 in (11.23 m)
Length	32 ft 3 in (9.83 m)	29 ft 11 in (9.12 m)
Crew	1	1
Maximum Speed	440 mph (708 km/h; 383 kn)	370 mph (600 km/h; 320 kn)
Combat Range	750 mi (1,200 km; 650 nmi)	248 mi (399 km, 216 nmi)
Service Ceiling	41,900 ft (12,800 m)	36,500 ft (11,100 m)
Rate of Climb	3,200 ft/min (16.3 m/s)	2,600 ft/min (13 m/s)
Armament	6 × 0.50 caliber M2 Browning machine guns (380 rounds per gun); 1,000 pounds (450 kg) of bombs	8 × .303 in Browning Mk II machine guns (350 rounds per gun)

P-51 Mustang vs Spitfire: Today

Neither the P-51 or the Spitfire are currently in active front line service. However, several air forces do keep a small fleet of Mustangs or Spitfires to this day.

P-51 Mustang

P-51s were not only used in WWII, however, it is the conflict that made them famous. The Mustang served long after WWII, as the primary fighter in several air forces’ fleet.

By January 1957, the US military had completely retired their fleet of P-51s. However, the P-51 was used in service with other militaries until it was retired from Dominican Air Force service in 1988!

Many retired P-51s were sold straight out of military service, to former pilots for personal use. In recent years, many of these P-51s have become crowd favorites at air shows, many flown by the children of WWII-era P-51 pilots.

Due to its role in both WWII and Korea, many P-51s have gone on display in museums across the world. Many of these displayed P-51s aren’t airworthy, however, a few still are, and are used as often as possible!

Weirdly, both the Cessna Citation Mustang and the Ford Mustang are two of the things who are named in honor of the WWII fighter. Cessna had many workers who had worked on the P-51, where Ford named it in order to sell to former Mustang pilots.

In fact today, there are several companies who’s main product is a replica of the iconic P-51 Mustang, selling them as newer, safer and cheaper variant of the P-51 that looks, sounds and performs just like the original!

Spitfire

Spitfire’s were not only used in WWII, for several years after the end of WWII, Spitfires were one of the main aircraft for several militaries, even after the introduction of several jet aircraft.

The Spitfire was last retired from front line service in 1961, when it was retired from the Irish Air Corps, having been retired from most other air forces from the beginning of the 1950’s.

However, this was not the end of the Spitfire’s flying days. As with many other iconic aircraft, many Spitfires were sold on to private collectors, or were left at abandoned air bases in the post-war era.

Many of these Spitfires were flown by retired Spitfire pilots at airshows all around the world. Not to mention six Spitfires which are in the world famous Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF).

Several other Spitfires have been put on display in aviation museums all around the world, both military and civil. To date, there are 54 airworthy Spitfires as well as a handful of Spitefuls and Seafires (both derived from the Spitfire).

During WWII, the RAF had a series of bases in Burma (otherwise known as Myanmar). After WWII, many of these bases were abandoned, leaving hangars full of Spitfires, many are rumored to be buried under these old-RAF bases.

P-51 Mustang vs Spitfire: Cost

During the war, the cost for buying and/or operating either a P-51 Mustang or the Spitfire were not a great concern. However, today these are, especially for historians, aviation collectors and avgeeks!

P-51 Mustang

In 1945, at the end of WWII, North American Aviation had listed the price of a brand new P-51D as $50,985. Today, this $50,985 is worth $730,210 (£570,000) in 2019 pounds.

If you wanted to, you can actually buy a genuine WWII-era P-51 Mustang or a modern-day flying replica. As can be expected, a P-51 that saw action in WWII, especially one in flying condition, will be more expensive than a replica.

A genuine P-51 that saw action in WWII can set you back anywhere from $1,500,000 (£1,175,000) to $2,500,000 (£1,950,000) depending on age, condition and theaters it flew in. A replica on the other hand can set you back roughly $65,000 (£51,000).

The P-51 has incredibly high maintenance costs. Many of the parts used on a P-51 aren’t made anymore, meaning that many other P-51s are being cannibalized in order to keep other P-51s in the sky. Not to mention the insurance premiums!

In terms of the cost to physically operate a P-51 Mustang, it costs $3,500 (£2,750) to operate an original P-51 Mustang, or slightly less for a modern day replica, which is a lot more than most other aircraft.

Spitfire

In 1939, Supermarine had the list price of the Spitfire as £12,604. Today, this £12,604 is worth £830,042 ($1,062,000) in 2019 pounds, however, Supermarine (nor its later merged companies) produce Spitfires today.

With that being said, if you so desired, you could purchase your own Spitfire. This can be done in one of two ways- a replica or an original. Naturally, buying an original is far more expensive than a replica.

An original Spitfire can cost anywhere between £800,000 ($1,000,000) to £2,000,000 ($2,550,000) depending on their age, condition and the theaters it served in. A replica can cost anywhere between £30,000 ($38,000) and £50,000 ($64,000).

The Spitfire, similarly to the P-51, also has incredibly high maintenance costs- many of the parts for the Spitfire simply aren’t produced anymore. Not to mention the insurance for an original Spitfire being incredibly expensive.

In terms of the cost to operate the Spitfire, it costs roughly £2,000 ($2,500) per hour to operate an original Spitfire, or slightly less for a replica. This is far cheaper than modern fighter jets like the F-22 and F-35.

P-51 Mustang vs Spitfire: Operations

Both the Spitfire and Mustang served in WWII, often side-by-side. However, that wasn’t the only conflict both aircraft served in!

P-51 Mustang

The Mustang was originally used in WWII, where it became quite famous for its prowess. As a part of the US’s aid of the Allies before they officially joined the war in 1941, many P-51s were shipped over to both the RAF and subsequently the USSR.

Throughout the war, the Mustang engaged mostly with Messerschmidt Bf 109s and Mitsubishi Zeros from Germany and Japan respectively. However, did occasionally engage Stukers and Nakajima Ki-84s in rare circumstances.

After the war, the USAAF consolidated itself greatly. Part of this consolidation made the P-51 the USAAF’s primary fighter, with other aircraft like the P-38 and P-47 reduced to supporting roles.

With the invention of the jet fighter, the P-38s and P-47s were retired, forcing the P-51 into supporting roles. By the late 1940’s, it looked as though the Mustang was obsolete.

However, when the Korean War broke out in June 1950, the Mustang was loaded on to aircraft carriers by the thousands and were transported to Korea. Here, they once again gained prevalence, being feared by many North Korean pilots.

After the Korean War, most Mustangs were retired and were sold off. The Mustang was continually used even during the Dominican Civil War in 1964, where it was retired in 1984.

Spitfire

The Spitfire similarly gained notoriety in WWII. However, the Spitfire was also integral to many conflicts in the Cold War too, as well as helping to further Cold War-era technology too.

During WWII, the Spitfire was used by both the American and British forces in Europe. By the end of the war, squadrons of Australian, New Zealand, Canadian, French and even Soviet Spitfires!

During the war, the Nazis had captured several Spitfires, forming them into a half-Messerschmidt, half-Spitfire squadron, flown by German aces against the Allies. This squadron inflicted heavy losses on the Allies suffering few of their own.

Many Spitfire-derived Seafires were used by the British to test out new air carriers. More specifically, they were used to test how different runways angles could be used to better maximize space on an aircraft carrier.

Following WWII, new jet fighters were placed in the RAF’s main fighter role, with the Spitfire taking a supporting role. By the late 1950’s, the RAF had phased out their Spitfire fighter squadrons, save for the BBMF and trainer squadrons.

The Spitfire didn’t see anymore front line action after the end of WWII. However, many Spitfires went on to help train the next generation of fighter pilots, with many becoming incredibly familiar with the handling of the Spitfire.

P-51 Mustang vs Spitfire: Opinions

As usual, we asked several different groups about their opinions on the matter of “Mustang vs Spitfire?”

Pilots

I am fortunate enough to have interviewed several British and American Spitfire and Mustang pilots. Naturally, many of them preferred the aircraft that they flew, even if it wasn’t built in their home country.

Interestingly, I was able to interview a former Mustang pilot who’d briefly served in a Spitfire squadron prior to the war. Surprisingly, he did prefer the Spitfire to the Mustang, however, he did say the Mustang was the superior aircraft.

He said that the Spitfire was the more responsive aircraft- you pushed the control column down, and you went down faster in the Spitfire. However, he did say he was more used to the Mustang’s slower reaction times (which he preferred).

Avgeeks

When I asked several avgeeks which aircraft they preferred, I naturally received a mixture of responses as usual. Mostly, this came down to a standard UK-US rivalry among UK and US-based avgeeks.

Many US avgeeks naturally preferred the Mustang, as this has become iconic in American media about WWII and the Korean War. Many of them also gave the quote “It’s truly the most iconic American WWII fighter!”

Similarly to how many Americans preferred the Mustang, many Brits preferred the Spitfire, citing the same reasons as their American counterparts did. Many of them similarly said that the Spitfire was iconic.

Public

This one was perhaps the most divisive of them all. Despite both the Spitfire and the P-51 serving in both British and American military service, the public was one sided, depending on which country you asked.

For almost every American I asked, their preferred aircraft was the P-51, stating that it was truly an American icon, the same way that aircraft like the 747 and 787 are today!

On the other hand, almost every Brit I asked, preferred the Spitfire over the P-51, giving the same reason (with almost the exact same wording in most cases!)- stating that it was a British icon from a bygone era.

Me

Personally, I have never flown either a Mustang or a Spitfire. I have also never flown in either one of them. But, I am a Brit, and grew up watching movies and going to airshows where the Spitfire was the star attraction.

For me, the Spitfire is truly the most iconic aircraft to have ever flown. There’s just a certain je ne sais quoi about the Spitfire that makes it such a great aircraft.

Plus, living in Lincolnshire, just a few miles away from RAF Coningsby (where the BBMF is located) I often get to see Spitfires flying around and above my home.

Summary

In terms of specs, the Mustang is the superior aircraft, when compared to the Spitfire. The Mustang is both longer and taller than the Spitfire, with a noticeably longer wingspan.

The Mustang was also much quicker than the Spitfire, with a much longer combat range. The Mustang also flew much higher than the Spitfire, giving it a noticeable advantage.

North American also equipped the Mustang with more weaponry, as well as a much faster climb rate. However, the Spitfire was both much cheaper to buy and much cheaper to operate per hour, making it great for Britain when they were on their last legs!

P-51 Mustang vs Spitfire- Which was the better aircraft? Tell me in the comments!

Featured image courtesy of Andrew-M-Whitman via Flickr.