Fear will keep the locals in line.

The British knew what they wanted the Mustang for, to supplement the Spitfire in replacing the outdated Hurricanes. They were using the P-40s for that purpose but NA offered them a better option.

Just show you know, I got it. Using a more modern analogy, I think Matula thought Boeing had no idea what they wanted to do with the 787 until they signed the first contract with ANA. Worse, the story of the P-51, P-80, and 787 development has nothing to do with NASA’s programs like Apollo, STS, ISS, or Orion.

And yet the first RAF squadron to fly Mustangs was based in England…

So yes, the British came looking for more P-40s, they left with orders for a new fighter, probably the greatest of WWII, and there was no RFP of RFI or any such money wasting non-sense involved… Which returns us to the point of this thread, a lot of procurement nonsense gets dumped when their is an emergency as was the case with World War II, or even the early space program. Look at the Navy’s Polaris program for another example.

“The contract for 300 Mustang I was signed by the British only 3 days after Dunkirk, which I think even the British, as reserved as they were, would have called an “emergency”. ”

Again, oaf, you should learn to read before writing:

as I wrote above the Brits did NOT want the P-40 OR the P-51 for post Dunkirk European battle.

They wanted the P-40′s for the easier theater such as Africa (see my references above).

Therefore there wasn’t a BoB ”
emergency”.

Nice try but that wiggle failed as well.

Actually, oaf, my history that I posted above came from:

“Mustang Designer: Edgar Schmued and the P-51″ by Ray Wagner

and

“Development of the P-51 Mustang Long Range Escort Fighter” by Paul A. Ludwig

Your “history” comes from a fevered frightened little mind who loses every debate he enters into.

Bringing in “cost plus” contracts is the usual deflection and change of subject we’ve come to expect from losers.

The point (for the sentient readers) is that no design took 120 days…there’s no “start” and “stop” – every designer and every company has been cooking ideas for years and they often come together at just the right time.

You really need to stop getting your history from comic books and magazines

The contract for 300 Mustang I was signed by the British only 3 days after Dunkirk, which I think even the British, as reserved as they were, would have called an “emergency”.

Here’s a really good book that covers that era and how American industry responded to the “war emergency” the fall of France created in style!

http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=freedoms+forge&tag=googhydr-20&index=stripbooks&hvadid=11816744557&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=3377907961948944241&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&ref=pd_sl_1o5rdr646x_b

Freedom’s Forge: How American Business Produced Victory in World War II by Arthur Herman

As a bonus you will learn about the origin of the “Cost Plus” contracts that has driven the aerospace industry since

And don’t forget to use Rand’s Amazon link so he gets a cut.