A-36 or P-51A? I.D. please

[Feu]

On another website this was identified as an A-36. I disagreed on the basis of there being no apparent evidence of dive brakes and it's being on a photo ship. It does have nose guns however and I'm not sure P-51As had them:

I know the RAF were given one (A-36) for evaluationbut I searched these up and they seemed to support my conclusion:
p51-f2.htm
File:RAF A-36A 1.png - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

My only doubts stem fromthe presence of nose guns.

 

[GrauGeist]

It looks like an A-36 but I think it's a P-51A. The RAF did evaluate an A-36, but it's serial was EW998

 

[Aozora]

It is neither an A-36, nor is it a P-51A; it is an RAF Mustang I, the first version of the Mustang built specifically for the RAF: this is AG633 of 2 Sqn, an Army Cooperation Squadron from the RAF's Army Cooperation Command which, in 1943, formed the basis of the 2nd Tactical Air Force.

(Kinzey, P-51 Mustang in Detail and Scale, 1996)

This is the RAF A-36 used as a trials aircraft; one small puzzle is that this A-36 looks as if it doesn't have the .50 cals under the nose, but closer inspection shows the blanked off gun ports.

 

[bobbysocks]

when did they change to the 4 cannons instead of the mix of 50s and 30s?

 

[Feu]

Thanks Aozora. That explains the .50 cal nose gun mystery.

 

[stug3]

I think 20mm were only tested in the P-51A, but not in RAF Mustangs.

Nope, I was wrong.
Mustang Mk.1A

 

[Njaco]

Looks like Aoroza nailed it...