This aircraft was one of the Mustangs assigned to the 5th Air Force in the late stages of the war in the Pacific. This aircraft belonged to the 348th Fighter Group and is shown as it appeared at Luzon, Philippine Islands in 1945. The P-51D Mustang, built by North American Aviation, is a single place, low-wing monoplane powered by a Packard-built Rolls Royce engine. Although it was designed primarily as a fighter airplane, it may be equipped to carry bombs, chemical tanks, or rockets. Provision is also made to allow installation of external drop tanks to increase operating range. The airplane also has six .50 caliber machine guns as standard equipment. Armor plate is installed in the cockpit area for protection of the pilot during combat. The P-51D Mustang has a wingspan of 37 feet and a length of 32 feet and stands 134 feet high. The gross weight can be as high as 12,300 pounds when external armament and fuel are carried.