F-82G

By June 1950, when the

Korean "conflict" began, the scream of the jet turbine was rapidly replacing the lovely, high-altitude moan of Merlins and Allisons. But the transition wasn't instantaneous, and there were still roles to be played by propeller-driven aircraft such as the F-82G Twin Mustang.

It was designed during WW II as a long-range fighter escort for B-29s, but the War ended before the aircraft became operational. After the War, the F-82 replaced the P-61 as the primary All-Weather interceptor night-fighter in the Far East Three squadrons of F-82s were available when North Korea invaded South Korea: the 4th All-Weather Squadron (AWS) was based in Okinawa; the 339th was at Johnson Air Base, Japan; and the 68th was at Itazuke Air Base, Japan.

From the War's first day, it was obvious that the new, "all-jet" Air Force did not have the range to fly from Japan up to the 38th Parallel and return. Since the P-51 had been phased out in favor of the new F-80s, this left only the F-82 and the B-26 as the long-range-capability aircraft All three F-82 squadrons responded immediately.

The Allison-powered F-82s carried a heavy load of bombs, rockets and napalm and were considered the workhorses during the first few weeks of the War. In addition, the first official air-to-air kill of the conflict was credited to the 68th AWS on June 27, 1950.

In 1951, the Twin Mustangs were relieved of the air defense role, but they were still very active in flying predawn weather reconnaissance all the way up to the Yalu River.

Although obsolete, the Twin Mustang helped stem the flow of Communism at a time when newer technology failed to do the job.

Copyright Air Age Publishing Feb 1999
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