Thunderbolts and Mustangs versus the Jagdwaffe (split topic)

[Ruy Horta]

Originally Posted by R Leonard

Weighted by annual production, averaged costs derived from USAAF Statistical Digest:

P-38 - $114,351.30

P-47 - $98,335.40

P-51 - $55,109.75

Rich

Good fiscal reasons to choose the Mustang over either types, especially if weighed against performance (bang for buck).

You could, on average, have two P-51s against one P-38 or P-47. The Mustang might have been less able to absorb damage, but since Allied pilots weren't an issue in 1944, you could always win the numbers game by producing the cheapest high performance fighter.