In article ,
Eeyore wrote:


It wasn't a question of 'making the effort'. Britain didn't have the
manufacturing CAPACITY. That was recognised very early on and was
why NA was asked to design the Mustang in the first place.

North American initiated the P-51 design on their own.

The British got it when they came to ask NAA to make P-40's for them,
and Edgar Schmued's team said they could do better; it had been in the
works for quite a while.