P-47D Thunderbolt customRepublic P 47D Thunderbolt custom airplane model. The P 47 was one of the most famous U. S. Army Air Forces fighter planes in World War II. Although the P 47 was originally conceived as a lightweight interceptor, it became a heavy fighter bomber the P 47's maximum weight was over 17,000 pounds, while the comparable P 51 Mustang's was about 12,000 pounds. The prototype made its first flight in May 1941, and Republic delivered the first production P 47