Once the standard long-range, high-altitude escort fighter for the U.S. Air Force, the North American P-82 Twin Mustang was the climactic development of a long series of the famous World War II P-51 Mustang series. North American produced 250 of the double-fuselaged airplanes for the Air Force, embracing three versions of the Twin Mustang then in service, the P-82E, P-82F, and P-82G. The versatility of the P-82 made it potentially adaptable to a wide variety of roles in modern aerial warfare. It could have been used as a fighter, a long-range escort, long-range reconnaissance, night fighter, attack bomber, rocket fighter or an interceptor. With a speed of more than 475 miles an hour, the Twin Mustang had a combat range of over 1,600 miles with full armament. Range could be extended by use of external drop tanks on the wings. A radical departure from the conventional single-fuselage airplane, the Twin Mustang was formed by two fuselages joined by the wing and the horizontal stabilizer. With a pilot in each fuselage, it reduced the problem of pilot fatigue on ultra-long-range missions. The P-82F and G models carried a radar operator in the right cockpit instead of a co-pilot.