North American F-82 Twin Mustang

The F-82 pilots, in the following weeks, would exceed all expectations in aerial combat.

On 28 June, orders came down for all F-82s to be used in heavy ground support against any North Korean activity found between the front lines and the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].

Every F-82 which could be made ready for flight was pressed into combat service.

Although [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] needed every available aircraft to slow down the North Korean invasion force, it was hard to justify the release of all F-82s from their defensive responsibilities due to the many key bases in Japan.

It was decided to release all F-82s for combat except for a flight which was deployed from the 4th F(AW)S in Okinawa to Japan and a full squadron of F-80s for air defense.

On 30 June, FEAF requested [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] for an additional 21 F-82 aircraft, which was denied.

In addition, the projected level of support which could be provided at the level of combat usage FEAF was experiencing was no more than 60 days due to a shortage of parts.

The fact was that when F-82 production ended in April 1948, no provision had been made for an adequate supply of spare parts, as the aircraft was not expected to remain in operational service once jet-powered aircraft were available.

Further, the Air Force simply did not have that many F-82s in the first place (182 total operational aircraft), and did not want to weaken the F-82 units committed to the Pacific Northwest or Atlantic coast, or to draw from the 14 F-82Hs in
Alaska.^{[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien][Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]}

This was a heavy blow to FEAF planners, as they wanted to use the F-82 for escorting [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] deep into [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] and for searching out ground targets along the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].

Making do with what they had was the order of the day, and maintenance crews were cannibalizing everything in sight in order to keep the maximum number of F-82s airborne.

During the period 26–30 June, the 68th squadron flew 35 combat sorties, averaging 5 hours per sortie, with the 339th flying similar numbers of missions.

During those early days, the stress and strain of combat put on the crews was intense.

However, by early July, the chances of F-82s engaging in air-to-air combat was significantly reduced as the F-80 Shooting Stars had effectively stopped North Korea's air force from coming below the 38th parallel.

The F-82s began flying strike and escort missions, along with night intruder sorties.

Several F-82s took hits in their radar radomes, which were difficult to replace, and the radomes were removed, turning them into day fighters.

In the ground support role, the F-82s could reach any part of the Korean battlefield with a total ordinance load of over 4,000 lb (1,814 kg).

Each of the six .50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns carried 400 rounds.

This firepower was well-used against numerous ground targets.

The escort missions flown with the B-26s took F-82s deep into North Korea.

Flying with external fuel tanks, it was necessary on many occasions for the Twin Mustangs to drop tanks due to the risk of fire or explosion if enemy fire hit one of the empty tanks.

On 10 July, F-82s from the 4th and 68th squadrons participated in one of the biggest strikes of the war against ground targets.

Joined by B-26s and F-80s, the aircraft hit massive amounts of North Korean road traffic.

An estimated 117 trucks, 38 tanks and seven personnel carriers were destroyed along with a large number of enemy troops killed when the B-26s destroyed a bridge at [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], causing a massive jam.

On 5 July, the 339th Squadron was pulled out of combat and returned to [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].

Shortly afterwords, the 4th Squadron returned to Okinawa, with the 347th Provisional Group being inactivated and control of the 68th Squadron being turned over to the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].

The 339th had been in combat a total of 10 days (26 June–5 July), flying a total of 44 combat sorties they had been given no training for.

The 68th Squadron was left to carry on the battle.

Throughout July and August 1950, F-82s from the 68th Squadron attacked enemy trains, vehicles, numerous buildings and constantly strafed North Korean troops on the roads.

On the night of 27 August, an element of F-82s was patrolling over South Korea over a thick overcast when they received an urgent request for air support from some hard-pressed ground troops.

Darkness was approaching when they reached the area and found UN ground troops pinned down by a concentration of mortars.

The F-82 pilots made several passes to get set up with the ground controller, and as soon as the enemy target was pinpointed, the heavily armed aircraft commenced an attack that would last 45 minutes and use up all their ordinance.

When the aircraft pulled up for the last time, the mortar positions were silent and ground forces later showed over 300 enemy dead.

Beginning in October 1950, F-82s would start flying weather reconnaissance predawn missions over North Korea.

At the same time, the squadron would also be responsible for keeping at least three aircraft on alert on airfields in the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] area (K-13 ([Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]) and K-14 (Kimpo)) during the hours of darkness and bad weather.

This would become the main mission for the F-82s for the balance of 1950, as the F-51s, F-80s and F-84s took on most of the combat ground attack missions which the F-82s were pressed into at the beginning of the war.

With the entry of the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] into the war, the situation on the ground began to deteriorate rapidly.

By late December, the 68th began flying two-aircraft missions during daylight and single aircraft missions at night from Kimpo AB.

On 7 January, FEAF ordered the 68th to start flying armed reconnaissance missions to check roads over southern [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] as UN forces were rapidly withdrawing south due to the Chinese onslaught.

It was a nightmare as the Chinese were pouring south, and it appeared that the situation was becoming like it was the previous June.

On 26 January, the armed reconnaissance missions were discontinued and the F-82s were placed on continuous combat air patrols over Kandong Airfield near [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] and over both of Pyongyang's main airfields, (K-23, Pyongyang and K-24, Pyongyang East) to monitor enemy air activity.

This was essential as any Chinese aircraft operating out of these bases would be in easy range of the UN front lines.

The 68th's efforts claimed 35 trucks destroyed with damage to many others.

As 1951 progressed, the F-82s of the 68th Squadron continued its mission of air defense over Seoul and flying weather reconnaissance flights, however its combat duties became more and more limited.

The end of the line was rapidly approaching for the F-82 in Korea.

By the end of August 1951, there were only eight operational F-82s with the 68th, and the F-94 Starfire was arriving in Japan, taking over missions previously flown by the Twin Mustangs.

In March 1952, the Starfire-equipped [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] arrived from [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]
and took up residence at K-13.

On 28 March 1952, the last F-82G was sent for cold weather modification then deployed to Alaska.

By mid-April 1952, the F-82s in Okinawa were also sent to Japan for modification and were also sent to Alaska.

All weather responsibilities in FEAF were now in the hands of the F-94 and the jet era.
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Alaskan Air Command

Modified F-82F/Gs for cold weather were designated as F-82H. Six were assigned initially to the 449th F(AW)S at [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] in December 1948 to replace their P-61 Black Widows in the Alaska Air Defense mission.

The Twin Mustang was well-suited for the air defense mission in Alaska due to their long-range flying ability.

In March 1949, the squadron was reassigned to [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], near [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] where an additional eight (14 total) arrived.

In Alaska, the squadron would constantly patrol over wide areas of Alaska as the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] flying from airfields in [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]
would constantly test the air defenses.

Beginning in August 1950, the 449th began receiving the F-94 Starfire jet interceptor, and the F-82s were assigned to a separate detachment within the squadron.

With the outbreak of the Korean War, tensions were high in Alaska, as it was feared that it would become a "back door" to Soviet aircraft striking North America.

The Soviets were constantly testing the Alaskan air defenses, with the F-94s responding when radar stations alerted them to incoming aircraft. Intercepts were rare, with only a few instances of eye-to-eye contact with Soviet aircraft.

The slower F-82s had a longer range than the F-94s, and the Twin Mustangs constantly patrolled over many Alaskan villages and towns.

Periodically, the F-82s were used for long-range visual reconnaissance near several known rough airstrips on the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] that the Soviets had used during World War II as landing fields for [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] aircraft and checking for any activity.

In addition, flights around the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] area and along the western Alaskan coastline were made.

Squadron records show the Twin Mustangs were flown over some of the most remote areas of the Territory along what today is known as the "North Slope" and over very rugged interior regions.

The Twin Mustangs in Alaska operated further north than any other USAF aircraft at the time.

In April 1952, F-82s from the 449th made a brief but memorable appearance in the movie "Top of the World." (1955) when they were flying escort duty for SAC [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] bombers near [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], in the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] near the most northern tip of Alaska, about 1,000 mi (1,609 km) south of the North Pole.

Another mission of the 449th was to act as a simulated invasion force during [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] combat maneuvers during the summer months.

Army ground units in Alaska were very limited in their movements due to the geography of the land.

Most movements were up and down roads and paths and railroad rights-of-way.

The F-82s would fly low along the terrain then pop up and initiate simulated strafing runs against them, causing the troops to take cover by hitting the muddy tundra.

On occasions, the Twin Mustangs would also drop tear gas canisters, simulating gas attacks on the units.

The 449th would also assist the local government by bombing ice jams on the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] and [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].

This helped avert disastrous floods in the region, dropping 500 lb (227 kg) bombs and firing 5 in (127 mm) rockets at the ice.

This allowed the rivers to keep flowing and not get clogged up.

Beginning in spring 1950, [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] began replacing their F-82E bomber escorts and throughout the year,
several were transferred to the 449th in Alaska.

In February 1951, the Air Force ordered Alaskan Air Command that the all the remaining F-82s in the Air Force inventory would all be transferred to Alaska.

The Twin Mustangs would be used to support Army units in air-to-ground operations, and to use the F-94 Starfires for interceptor duty.

During 1951 and 1952, F-82Fs from the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] at [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] and [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] at [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] were winterized and flown to Ladd AFB as replacements when those units transitioned to the F-94. ^{[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]}

[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]

F-82Gs from [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] were also sent to Alaska as jets took over combat duties over the skies of Korea.

The FEAF F-82s, however, arrived in a badly-corroded condition.

Also many of these aircraft which were sent to the 449th had high time on their airframes from long bomber escort and air defense flights, as well as the stress from combat duty in Korea had caused many of them to be difficult to maintain.

After spending four months at the 39th Air Depot Wing at Elmendorf, most were given-up on and scrapped.

All in all, this provided AAC with a total of 36 various E, F, G and H model F-82s.

By 1952, attrition had claimed many of the Twin Mustangs which were assigned to the squadron.

The occasional long-range reconnaissance flight over the Bearing Sea was still flown, given the range of the Twin Mustang was much greater than that of the F-94.

The right seat of the aircraft was usually occupied by an experienced flight mechanic.

With the long patrol flights with high-hour aircraft, pilots began having more and more mechanical problems that forced them to land on crude flight strips.

The mechanic usually could repair the aircraft well enough to get airborne and head straight back to Ladd AFB.

Attrition and a lack of spare parts led to the withdrawal of the F-82 from the USAF inventory. Initially 16 of the 36 aircraft became hangar queens and were the main source for spare parts to keep the others operational.

By the spring of 1953 the number of aircraft available had dwindled to a handful, with two or three operational aircraft kept flying by cannibalizing others which were incapable of being repaired.
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Each aircraft were flown about 48 hours per month until it was impossible to keep them in the air on a reliable basis.

The last Twin Mustang that remained in the operational inventory (46-377) was originally configured as an F-82G model that had served with two different squadrons in Okinawa and Japan.

It was flown to Ladd AFB in 1952 and modified as a winterized F-82H. It was sent to [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] in November 1953, for reclamation.

Retirement

The Twin Mustang had a very short operational life.

About two years after its introduction to SAC, the F-82E was phased out of service in favor of the jet-powered F-84 Thunderjet for bomber escort duties beginning in 1950.

Some were sent to Korea for combat, others were sent to Alaska, but most were declared surplus and were being sent to storage and ultimately reclamation in 1951.

Air Defense Command's F-82Fs began to be replaced by F-94 Starfires in 1950, and by early 1951, with most being sent to the smelters, although a few Twin Mustangs remaining in ADC towing aerial targets.

In the Pacific, the F-82Gs in combat were also replaced by the F-94 in late 1951 and early 1952, with the survivors being sent to Alaska after being modified to the F-82H configuration in Japan for cold-weather use.

Ultimately, due to a lack of spare parts, many of the remaining Twin Mustangs which broke down were cannibalized to keep the other aircraft flying.

Eventually all were withdrawn from service when the lack of parts made it impossible to keep the aging airframes flying.

The last remaining F-82s were ultimately scrapped at [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], Alaska. By June 1953 no F-82s appeared on Air Force, Air National Guard or Air Reserve Forces rolls with some being turned over to museums as static displays.

After the end of their USAF service, the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] (NACA) acquired four surplus F-82s for research work.

• XP-82-NA 44-83886 (c/n 120-43742) (NACA-14). Operated by NACA from 6 June 1948 to 5 October 1955. This aircraft was ultimately sent to salvage at Langley AFB, Virginia.
  

• XP-82-NA 44-83887 (c/n 120-43743). Operated from October 1947 to July 1950. Used for ram jet tests, it was damaged during July 1950.
  The damaged aircraft was sold to Walter Soplata and placed on his farm.
  In March 2008 it was sold to Tom Reilly and moved to his restoration facility in [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].
  

• P-82B-NA 44-65168 (c/n 123-43754) (NACA-132). Operated from September 1950 to June 1957: This was the Betty Jo distance record holder aircraft and it was used for ram jet tests. Was turned over to the USAF Museum.
  

• F-82E-NA 46-256 (c/n 144-38141) (NACA-133). Used for high-altitude icing tests beginning in January 1950, redesignated EF-82E. Sold to Walter Soplata for $1,600 in March 1954. Now being restored to flying condition by C&P Aviation in Anoka, Minnesota.