In January 1944 the USAAF ordered four experimental XP-82's. Although all four planes were originally to be Allison powered, plans changed so the first two, now designated XP-82A and using the V-1710-119, with the second two designated XP-82B and using Packard Merlin V-1650-23/25. While the P-82A was cancelled when the war ended, work on the P-82B continued with the Merlin-powered plane's first flight in October 1945. Although no P-82As were built 500 P-82Bs were ordered in June 1944. The end of the war caused production to be cut. Twenty production airplanes were built in early 1946 using Merlin engines previously purchased for the purpose. Production of Merlin's ceased at the end of the war, so when the Air Corp ordered 250 additional planes it was determined that they would be powered by the Allison V-1710-143/145 and originally specified by Allison specification V-1710-F36R/L but evolving to revised specification V-1710-G6R/L. The order was split between two groups – the first group of 100 planes were P-82E escort fighters for use by Strategic Air Command
to escort bombers, and remaining 150 were designated P-82F all-weather radar equipped
interceptors/night fighters. The last 59 all-weather interceptors were actually delivered
as P-82Gs. These planes entered air-defence service in the spring of 1948 and were
based on both the east and west coasts of the United States, Alaska, and Japan.
XP-82 2
XP-82A 1
P-82B 20
P-82C 1 (transformed P-82B)
P-82D 1 (transformed P-82B)
P-82E 100 escort fighter
P-82F 91 night fighter
P-82G 45 night fighter
P-82H 14 9 P-82F and 5 P-82G modified for Alaska
So out of the total production only around twenty had Merlin engines.